Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Devolution: East Yorkshire and Kingston upon Hull

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled, Hull and East Yorkshire devolution deal, published on 22 November 2023, whether the £13.34 million per year allocation of investment funding is index linked.

Jacob Young: Local leaders have agreed the Hull and East Yorkshire Devolution Deal, which includes an Investment Fund of £400 million over the next 30 years, equivalent to £13.34 million per annum. It will be transformative for the people of Hull and East Yorkshire. The fund is not index linked, which is standard practice across most such departmental funds. I pay tribute to Cllr Mike Ross and Cllr Anne Handley for showing the determination and leadership Hull and East Yorkshire needs.

Building Safety Fund: Newham

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will permit funds allocated by the Building Safety Fund in relation to the application for Drift Court in the London Borough of Newham, reference London_1595, to be allocated to an account of a new managing agent in the event of resignation by the Company Secretary at Gallions Approach Management Ltd.

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2024 to Question 9728 on Building Safety Fund: Newham, whether his Department requires a new Principal Accountable Person to submit a fresh application to the Building Safety Fund in the event of resignation by the Company Secretary at Gallions Approach Management Ltd.

Lee Rowley: If an Applicant changes managing agent, they will need to assure the department and its delivery partners that funds already paid are properly accounted for and (if applicable) transferred to the service charge account of the new managing agent. Subject to appropriate diligence checks, future payments can be made into the new managing agent’s account.In the event of the resignation of the company secretary, Gallions Approach Management Ltd will remain the entity responsible for the project and the Building Safety Fund (BSF) application, and subject to the entity’s obligations under the Grant Funding Agreement and any other relevant contracts. There is no need to submit a new application to the BSF.The department has entered into a Grant Funding Agreement with Gallions Approach Management Ltd. Their corporate governance is primarily a matter for the Applicant. The Applicant may wish to seek independent legal advice.

Teesworks Joint Venture Independent Review

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has received the final report of the independent review of the Teesworks Joint Venture.

Simon Hoare: As set out in the oral statement delivered by the Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Building Safety on 29 January 2024, the department received the independent panel's report on 23 January 2024 and the report was published 29 January 2024. A copy is available at the following link.

Local Government Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish the uplift in local authority funding for each local authority.

Simon Hoare: As set out in the Secretary of State's Written Ministerial Statement on 24 January 2024, the final Local Government Finance Settlement will be published in full early next month, including individual local authority allocations, and the statutory reports which comprise the Settlement will be subject to debate in the House of Commons shortly after.

Buildings: Insulation

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending rights to access (a) Remediation Contribution Orders through the First-tier Tribunal and (b) other lower-cost legal action to buildings under 11 metres where leaseholders need to pursue legal action to recover cladding remediation costs.

Lee Rowley: It is generally accepted that the life safety risk is proportional to the height of buildings.   The risk to life from historical fire safety defects is lower in buildings under 11m, therefore building safety related remediation works are required in a very small number of buildings under 11m.In rare cases where remediation work is required in buildings under 11 metres, the government has retrospectively extended the limitation period under Section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 enabling legal action against developers and contractors where works completed in the last 30 years made a dwelling not “fit for habitation”.We would welcome examples of any specific cases under 11m where there are concerns to be raised with the Department for further review.

Leasehold: Reform

Andrew Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to businesses of proposals to abolish the marriage value element of leasehold enfranchisement; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of those proposals on non-UK leaseholders.

Andrew Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to legal advice given to the Law Commission in December 2019, whether his Department has received any recent advice on the compatability of the marriage value element of leasehold enfranchisement with Article 1 of the First Protocol (A1P1) to the ECHR.

Lee Rowley: Our reforms seek to make it cheaper and easier for leaseholders to extend their lease or purchase their freehold. An Impact Assessment for the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill has been carried out and published on the Parliament website at: Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill publications - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament.The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill as introduced on 27 November 2023 is considered compatible with the ECHR, as the section 19 statement on compatibility with Convention rights has been signed.

Levelling Up Fund: Scotland

Ms Anum Qaisar: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what constituencies in Scotland (a) have and (b) have not been allocated funding via the Levelling Up Fund.

Ms Anum Qaisar: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what local authorities in Scotland (a) have and (b) have not been allocated funding via the Levelling Up Fund.

Jacob Young: A full list of successful applicants, as well as geographic and thematic analysis can be found on Gov.UK.Successful Round 1 biddersSuccessful Round 2 biddersRound 3 projectsRound’s 1 and 2 geographic and thematic analysis

Housing: Leicester East

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will have discussions with Leicester City Council on steps it is taking to reduce damp and mould in low income households in Leicester East constituency.

Jacob Young: Following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, the Secretary of State wrote to all providers of social housing and to all local authority chief executives, including Leicester City Council. In these letters the Secretary of State set out his expectation that providers should go further than the letter of the Decent Homes Standard, and have particular regard to damp and mould, and that local authorities should take action to resolve poor housing conditions in their area.All landlords have legal obligations to remedy disrepair, ensure homes are fit for human habitation and to ensure that homes are free of health and safety hazards at the most dangerous ‘category 1’ level. This includes damp and mould. As a registered provider of social housing, Leicester City Council is also required to ensure its homes meet the Decent Homes Standard.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 11 January 2023 from the Rt hon. Member for East Ham, reference ST102443.

Lee Rowley: A response to the Rt Hon Member issued on 27 March 2023. A copy of the letter was resent by email on 26 January 2024.

Mayors: East Yorkshire

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Hull and East Yorkshire devolution deal, published on 22 November 2023, whether he has made an estimate of the potential costs of (a) a mayoral election and (b) the annual running of a mayoral office including staffing.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Hull and East Yorkshire devolution deal, published on 22 November 2023, what the maximum level is projected to be for the mayoral precept.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Hull and East Yorkshire devolution deal, published on 22 November 2023, whether he has made an assessment of the cost of the Mayoral Combined Authority's (a) Overview and Scrutiny Committee and (b) Audit Committee.

Jacob Young: Subject to consultation and parliamentary approval, the Hull East Yorkshire Level 3 Devolution Deal we have agreed with local leaders will bring with it a £400 million Mayoral Investment Fund over the next 30 years, and a significant transfer of powers from Westminster to Yorkshire.The cost of an election, as with any local election, is borne locally by the authority. By ensuring the election is first past the post we have reduced potential costs. In addition, my department, as part of the deal will provide £2 million Mayoral Capacity Funding over the next three years, to support the establishment of the new mayoral combined authority (MCA).A new mayor for Hull and East Yorkshire is able to charge a precept, but is not required to. For example the Mayor of Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, has chosen not to charge a precept. Any precept can be subject to the council tax referendum principles.The costs associated with scrutiny and audit committees would be met by the new MCA. We believe such scrutiny is necessary to ensure value for money for the taxpayer, when devolving significant powers.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Flood Control

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what flood defence measures his Department is putting in place to help protect agriculture.

Robbie Moore: Farmers and land managers have an increasingly important role to play in reducing the risk of flooding and coastal erosion as we adapt to climate change, through measures such as natural flood management. In addition to protecting homes, the flood investment programme also protects agricultural land. In our six-year record £5.2 billion floods investment programme, the amount of funding a project can attract will depend on the damage it will avoid and the benefits it will deliver. A project's impact on agricultural land is included as part of the funding calculator and attracts funding. Since 2015 we have protected over 900,000 acres of agricultural land. Approximately 40% of schemes, and 45% of investment, better protects properties in rural communities. Government assistance is sometimes provided in particularly exceptional circumstances. For example, on Saturday 6th January the Government announced farmers who have suffered uninsurable damage to their land as a result of Storm Henk will be able to apply grants of up to £25,000 through the Farming Recovery Fund towards reinstatement costs for farmers adversely affected by exceptional flooding. There are also measures that benefit flood risk mitigation under all three components of the Environmental Land Management schemes. As announced on 4th January, farmers and other land managers will be paid for a variety of land management actions that support flood risk mitigation, including new actions to manage grasslands and arable land for flood resilience and updated actions to store flood water on agricultural land. These actions will be available from later this year, through a streamlined single application process. The first round of Landscape Recovery included a focus on restoring England’s streams and rivers: the selected projects will restore water bodies, rivers, and floodplains to a more natural state, reduce of nutrient pollution, benefit aquatic species, and improve flood mitigation and resilience to climate change. Many of the Landscape Recovery Round 2 projects that are centred around rivers are also aiming to deliver similar environmental outcomes, including flood mitigation.

Thames Water

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with (a) Ofwat and (b) Thames Water on Thames Water's (i) financial and (ii) operational performance.

Robbie Moore: The Secretary of State and ministerial team regularly meets representatives from all water companies, including Thames Water, regarding financial and operational performance. As part of their introductory series of meetings, the Defra Secretary of State and ministerial team will meet with all water companies on a range of issues in the coming weeks and months. Furthermore, Minister Pow, as Minister responsible for water, met with Thames Water’s interim CEOs Alastair Cochran and Cathryn Ross and Chair Sir Adrian Montague on Tuesday 14th November to discuss both their financial and operational performance across a range of issues. Minister Moore will shortly be following up with Thames Water regarding operational performance following publication of the Thames Water Service Commitment Plan to understand how the company can accelerate action to improve performance across the business.

Floods: Disaster Relief

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department is providing for those affected by flooding.

Robbie Moore: On Saturday 6th January the Government announced a significant package of support that will be available to areas in England that have experienced exceptional localised flooding as a result of Storm Henk (2nd – 12th Jan).DLUHC has activated the Flood Recovery Framework and its package of support measures include; Community Recovery Grant: Eligible Local Authorities will receive funding equivalent to £500 per flooded household to support local recovery efforts.Business Recovery Grant: DBT may provide eligible Local Authorities up to £2,500 per eligible small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), which has suffered severe impacts from flooding that cannot be recovered from insurance.Council Tax Discount: The Government will reimburse eligible Local Authorities for the cost of a 100% council tax discount for a minimum of three months. Following approval from Defra’s Secretary of State, Defra also activated the PFR Grant scheme and the Farming Recovery Fund.The PFR Scheme is a package of funding for property owners directly flooded by a specific weather event that grants them up to £5,000 per property to install PFR measures. The Farming Recovery Fund pays out to farmers with uninsurable damage for grants of up to £25,000 for repair and reinstatement costs.All schemes, with the exception of the Farming Recovery Fund, will be administered through local authorities, who will confirm application process to eligible households and businesses in the coming weeks. The Farming Recovery Fund is administered by the Rural Payments Agency and not Local Authorities. Defra will confirm detailed eligibility for the Farming Recovery Fund over the coming weeks.

Flood Control

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK Government Resilience Framework at managing resilience to (a) high risk floods and (b) other flood risks.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to update the UK Government Resilience Framework to help improve national resilience to floods.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to take steps to incorporate climate change projections into the UK Government Resilience Framework, in the context of flood prevention and management.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK Government Resilience Framework adequately reflects the needs of communities that are repeatedly affected by flooding.

Robbie Moore: The Government’s long-term flood and coastal erosion risk management Policy Statement, published in 2020, sets out our ambition to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk. It includes five ambitious policies and a number of actions which will accelerate progress to better protect and better prepare the country against flooding and coastal erosion in the face of more frequent extreme weather as a result of climate change. Flooding resilience in England is a priority for Defra as part of the ‘whole of society’ approach to resilience outlined in the UK Government Resilience Framework (UKGRF). In December 2023 the Government published an implementation update for the UKGRF outlining progress to date in delivering commitments in the Framework. For example, the Government is investing a record £5.2 billion in the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Capital Programme. Since 2021, over £1.5 billion has so far been invested in flood defence projects across the England, with over 67,000 properties better protected. Climate change projections are built into the design of new flood defences to make sure they are fit for the future. On the 5 April 2023, the Government also announced the first communities in England to benefit from the Government’s £100 million Frequently Flooded Allowance. These communities have been allocated a total of £48 million, better protecting more than 2,300 households and businesses. Defra and the Environment Agency also work closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to share flood risk information and identify particularly vulnerable areas. We constantly review our policies in the light of the most up-to-date evidence. This includes UK Climate Projections and the Government’s five-yearly UK Climate Change Risk Assessment.

Water: Standards

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) ask the Environment Agency to conduct bathing water tests in the context of the activation of storm overflows and (b) make an assessment of the potential merits of routinely conducting bathing water tests all year round.

Robbie Moore: Event duration monitoring (EDM) data shows how often storm overflows are active and for how long. Government directed water companies to increase their storm overflow monitoring in 2013 and achieved 100% EDM coverage before the end of 2023. This increased transparency will help regulators hold water companies to account to reduce storm overflow discharges and will support public understanding of water quality. The Bathing Water Regulations require the Environment Agency to sample bathing waters at a fixed location using a pre-determined sampling schedule during the bathing season, which is fixed in the Bathing Water Regulations as 15 May to 30 September. The government is committed to reviewing the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 to ensure they reflect changes in how and where people use bathing waters.

Aviation: Alternative Fuels

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will review the position of sustainable aviation fuel within the waste hierarchy.

Robbie Moore: The best environmental outcome for waste that cannot be either prevented or prepared for reuse is for material to be recycled. However, we know that that is not always possible. Where waste cannot be reused or recycled, the Government supports maximising the value of residual waste through recovering energy, including supplying electricity or heat, or through use as a fuel. The process of converting waste into fuels is an energy recovery operation for the purposes of the waste hierarchy. We do not consider it the role of the waste hierarchy to determine the priority of recovery processes through which residual waste should be managed. There is nothing preventing the production of fuel from residual waste if this is determined to be the best overall value for money and environmental outcome for non-recyclable wastes. We therefore have no plans to change the position of sustainable aviation fuel within the waste hierarchy.

Deposit Return Schemes: Drinks

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2023 to Question 1716 on Deposit Return Schemes: Drink, if he will publish a timeline for the release of the final impact assessment for the proposed deposit return scheme.

Robbie Moore: The final Impact Assessment will be published alongside the Statutory Instrument.

Food: Imports

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the safety of imported food under the Border Target Operating Model.

Mark Spencer: The Government’s absolute priority in delivering the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) is to protect and enhance food safety, and plant, animal and public health. The BTOM sets outs out a risk-based, proportionate regime of controls which systematically assesses the inherent biosecurity or public health risk presented by an import, together with the prevalence of relevant pests and diseases and our confidence in the exporting country’s production standards and health controls. This assessment allows us to set controls at the most appropriate level and focus on the areas of highest risk to ensure food safety.

Animal Welfare

Mark Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the impact of his Department's publication entitled Action Plan for Animal Welfare, published on 12 May 2021, on animal welfare in (a) Dewsbury, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) the UK.

Mark Spencer: The Government has an ambitious agenda for animal welfare and conservation reforms, which we continue to take forward during this Parliamentary session. We will continue to introduce and support legislative and non-legislative reforms where possible.Since the publication of the Action Plan, we have delivered on key manifesto commitments: we have increased the penalties for those convicted of animal cruelty, passed the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 and launched the Animal Sentience Committee. We have made cat microchipping compulsory and have announced the extension of the Ivory Act (2018) to cover five endangered species. In addition, we have provided for penalty notices to apply to animal welfare offences, introduced new police powers to tackle hare coursing, and banned glue traps.We are pleased to have introduced the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill to deliver our manifesto commitment to end this trade. The Bill will ban the export of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain, stopping unnecessary stress, exhaustion and injury caused by exporting live animals. In December 2023, the Government laid the Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2023 in Parliament and published the summary of responses to its 2023 consultation on Licensing of specialist private primate keepers in England. Defra maintains a close working relationship with the zoo sector, and we will continue to build upon this to identify non-legislative improvements.  We aim to publish updated zoo standards early this year, which we have developed in collaboration with the sector and the Zoos Expert Committee, which raise standards and support enforcement. Whilst no specific analysis has been undertaken for individual locations, policies regularly undergo evaluation or post implementation reviews to assess their effectiveness in meeting their animal welfare objectives.

Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023, when he plans to launch the consultation to determine which activities fall within the regulations.

Mark Spencer: The Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023 provides a framework for the introduction of a ban on the advertising and offering for sale of specific low-welfare animal activities abroad. It is an important step in protecting animals from considerable suffering and unacceptable practices. This Government continues to make animal welfare a priority and we are currently exploring a number of options to progress this issue as soon as is practicable.

Question

Mrs Flick Drummond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of regulations applying to winemakers.

Mark Spencer: Defra is currently reforming and implementing retained European Union wine legislation to boost the wine industry, allowing continued innovation and growth to the economy. Our first Statutory Instrument (SI) entered into force on 1 January 2024, and included labelling reforms to benefit importers and exporters, and removal of wine certification arrangements to reduce burdens. Our second SI was approved in Parliament on 17 January 2024, and will come into force in July 2024. This protected the specialist product “ice wine” and updated winemaking practices to enable wine producers to use the latest technological advancements. There are plans for further reforms in 2024, which will cover a wide range of topics including low and no wine and in-market transformation, which will free up industry through increased choice.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many purchases with a value of less than £500 were made against his Department’s budget using a Government procurement card (a) in calendar year 2022 and (b) from 1 January to 31 October 2023; and what was the total cost of those purchases.

Mark Spencer: The table below sets out the number of purchases made valued at under £500 using a Government procurement card for the given time periods. Time PeriodVolume of TransactionsValue of Transactions20223853£355,2451 January to 31 October 20233798£336,077

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many government procurement cards were held by people to make purchases against his Department’s budget as of (a) 31 December 2022, (b) 31 March 2023 and (c) 31 December 2023.

Mark Spencer: The following table sets out the number of procurement cardholders on each given date. DateCardholders31 December 202223731 March 202325431 December 2023304 Procurement cards assist with the reduction in procurement bureaucracy, boost efficiency, support the Government’s prompt payment initiative for small and medium businesses, and help maintain cash flow to suppliers. Procurement cards are used as defined by the departmental procurement acquisition model, agreed by procurement and finance colleagues. Controls are in place that limit purchase types and values in line with individual departmental controls. Procurement cards are held by officials, not Ministers or Special Advisers.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Gaza: Genocide

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the International Court of Justice’s decision on the request for provisional measures in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, we have stated that we have considerable concerns about this case, which is not helpful in the goal of achieving a sustainable ceasefire. Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with International Humanitarian Law, as we have said from the outset. Our view is that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, which is why we thought South Africa's decision to bring the case was wrong and provocative. However, we welcome the Court's call for the immediate release of hostages and the need to get more aid into Gaza. We are clear that an immediate pause is necessary to get aid in and hostages out, and then we want to build towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to the fighting.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent steps he has taken to help prevent an escalation of conflict in the Middle East.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are concerned by the situation on Israel's northern border, and by the ongoing and imminent threat from the Houthis to vessels in the Red Sea. UK Ministers are conducting extensive diplomatic efforts to deter escalation. As the Foreign Secretary has told the Iranian Foreign Minister, including on 17 January, Iran must use its influence to curb attacks and de-escalate regional tensions. Lord Ahmad spoke to the Lebanese Foreign Minister on 23 January to discuss UK support for the full implementation of UNSCR 1701.

Western Sahara: Climate Change

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to (a) his Moroccan counterpart and (b) the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on Morocco’s inclusion of projects in occupied Western Sahara in relation to that country's National Determined Contribution.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to his Moroccan counterpart on that country's requiring MINURSO to use Moroccan vehicle number plates in occupied Western Sahara.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK does not plan to make representations on the issues raised in the Member's question.

Morocco: Western Sahara

Kim Johnson: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to the UN Security Council to press for the release of Saharawi civilian prisoners in Moroccan prisons.

David Rutley: The UK Government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. We also engage on these issues at the UN and have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards and to avoid any action that may endanger human life.

Abdullah al-Derazi and Jalal Labbad

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on the (a) adequacy of the trial and (b) use of the death penalty in the case of (i) Abdullah al-Derazi and (ii) Jalal Labbad in that country.

David Rutley: We continue to monitor the cases of the young men, including Abdullah al-Derazi and Jala Labbad, who allegedly committed their crimes as minors and are at risk of execution. The Minister for the Middle East and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon has raised these cases with the Saudi authorities as a priority. During Saudi Arabia's Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council on 22 January, the UK Government recommended that Saudi Arabia abolish the juvenile death penalty and conduct thorough investigations into individuals who may have been minors at the time of their alleged crimes.

Afghanistan: Hazara

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on the treatment of the Hazara community in Afghanistan.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK works closely with the international community, including the G7, G20 and through the UN, to protect the human rights of all of Afghanistan's people and to coordinate a consistent international response. In December, the Minister for South Asia and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, raised recent attacks on Hazaras with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

Morocco: Western Sahara

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) Moroccan and (b) Saharawi soldiers that have died since the Moroccan military incursion into Guerguerat.

David Rutley: The FCDO does not hold such records. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Western Sahara including through our engagements with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and our international partners.

Morocco: Western Sahara

Kim Johnson: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has provided funding to Saharawi human rights defenders in Western Sahara in the last five years.

David Rutley: The UK Government has not provided funding to the specific cause mentioned. However, the UK remains committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. Additionally, the UK supported United Nations Security Council Resolution 2703 on 30 October, which renewed the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) mandate for 12 months. We have also consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara.

Morocco: Western Sahara

Kim Johnson: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will ask the UN Secretary General to investigate (a) how many allegations of human rights abuses have been made to the Moroccan National Human Rights Council in Western Sahara and (b) whether those allegations have been investigated.

David Rutley: The UK Government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. We also engage on these issues at the UN and have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards and to avoid any action that may endanger human life.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Carbon Emissions

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what targets his Department has set to help achieve the Government's commitments on net zero.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Government set out how we would meet our commitments in the Net Zero Strategy in 2021 which included a detailed breakdown of actions required across all sectors in the economy. This was updated in 2023 through the publication of 'Powering Up Britain'.The UK has halved its emissions, ahead of every other major economy, and we have grown our economy by over 70 per cent since 1990. The UK over-achieved against the first and second carbon budgets, and the latest projections show that we are on track to meet the third.We have one of the most ambitious decarbonisation targets in the world, and we have set more stretching targets for 2030 than most countries. We plan to cut emissions by 68 per cent by 2030, which is more than the EU, Japan or the United States.

British Virgin Islands: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States on the British Virgin Islands.

David Rutley: I spoke to the Premier of the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Associate Member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), on 18 January and will visit the BVI in February for further discussions. The Director General of the OECS wrote to me on 15 January about the current situation in the BVI. I will reply shortly.

Hong Kong: Financial Services

Andrew Selous: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the autonomy of Hong Kong’s (a) economic, (b) monetary and (c) financial systems.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The latest Six-Monthly report on Hong Kong, published on 19 September, notes that Hong Kong's economic, monetary, and financial systems remain distinct and robust from mainland China. The Hong Kong SAR Government has maintained a free market economic and trade system, retaining autonomy in deciding their economic and trade policies. Hong Kong continues to be recognised as an international financial centre with sole discretion over its monetary and financial policies.

Red Sea: Piracy

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2024 to Question 9661 on Houthis: Shipping, what the British links were of each vessel.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Where vessels are not flagged with the Red Ensign Group, specific detail relating to their operations is commercially sensitive information which is not for the UK Government to share.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: British Virgin Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he plans to visit the British Virgin Islands within the next six months.

David Rutley: I will visit the British Virgin Islands in February. My programme will include a meeting with the Premier of the British Virgin Islands and others across the political spectrum.

Department for Education

Childcare

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make a comparative estimate of the number of children in the age range 9 months to 4 years old with the number of childcare places in each local authority area.

David Johnston: The department does not hold this information in the form requested.The department has regular contact with each local authority in England to ensure they have sufficient places to meet their requirements.

Special Educational Needs: Admissions

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many special school places are available in England as of 24 January 2024, broken down by local education authority.

David Johnston: The information requested is not held centrally. The department does not collect real-time data on the availability of school places.The department has begun collecting annual data from local authorities on available capacity in special schools, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) units and resourced provision, along with corresponding forecasts of demand for these places. This data will help the department to effectively support local authorities to fulfil their statutory duty to provide sufficient specialist places.Local authorities are responsible for providing enough school places for children in their area.The department supports local authorities to provide sufficient school places through capital funding, and the department has published over £1.5 billion of High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. This funding is allocated to local authorities to support them to deliver new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require Alternative Provision (AP). This funding forms part of the department’s transformational investment of £2.6 billion in new high needs provision between 2022 and 2025 and is on top of the department’s ongoing delivery of new special and AP free schools.

Children: Reading

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to help support (a) children with (i) a vision impairment and (ii) dyslexia and (b) other children to access the (A) RNIB bookshare service and (B) other book sharing services.

David Johnston: The department aims for all children and young people, to receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life, including those with visual impairments, dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions. The department is creating a new single national Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) system which will focus on how needs are identified and met across Education, Health and Care. This new single national system will set standards on what support should be made available in mainstream settings, including for children with visual impairments, and when specialist provision, including AP, is most appropriate for meeting a child or young person’s needs.Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. The department already has numerous measures to help teachers do this, including the Phonics Screening Check and statutory assessments at the ends of key stage 1 and 2. The department has also introduced a package of measures to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the launch of the English Hubs programme; the publication of the Reading Framework; and an updated list of high-quality phonics programmes for schools.The department is committed to ensure a steady supply of teachers of children with visual impairments in both specialist and mainstream settings. To teach a class of pupils with visual impairments, a teacher is required to hold the relevant mandatory qualification in sensory impairment (MQSI). There are currently six providers of the MQSI, with a seventh from September 2024. In addition, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) is developing a new occupational standard for teachers of sensory impairment, expected to launch in 2025.On 11 July 2023, the department published an updated version of the Reading Framework. The Reading Framework includes guidance on teaching reading to pupils with moderate to severe SEND and complex needs. It is primarily aimed at mainstream schools where, with the right support, the vast majority of pupils will be able to make expected progress.It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Many head teachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided.

Apprentices

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many SMEs sit on a Trailblazer employer group convened by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

Robert Halfon: This is a matter for the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. I have asked the Chief Executive, Jennifer Coupland, to write to the hon. Member for Feltham and Heston, and a copy of this reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

T-Levels

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department holds data on the number of T Level students who achieved a sustained positive destination in the 2022-23 academic year.

Robert Halfon: The information requested is not held by the department.

Antisemitism

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of antisemitism incidents there have been on higher education campuses since 7 October 2023.

Robert Halfon: Departmental officials have assessed evidence of antisemitism and racial hatred linked to incidents at English universities. Where concerns have arisen, officials have reached out to relevant universities to understand what actions they have taken, including reporting issues to the police where appropriate. The department also continually reminds providers of their obligations under the Prevent duty, where they should be working to prevent people from being drawn into or supporting terrorism. There is an online "Reporting Extremism" form where members of the public can raise concerns to the department directly.The department also regularly meets with the Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors and reports on antisemitism in the UK. CST’s latest report indicates that there were 154 antisemitic incidents in higher education (HE) between 7 October 2023 and 13 December 2023.This unprecedented level of antisemitism on campus is deeply concerning. On 5 November 2023, the department published a five-point plan detailing concerted action to protect Jewish students in HE. The plan involves:Calling for visas to be withdrawn from international students who incite racial hatred.Liaising with the Office for Students on its role in reviewing antisemitic incidents.Continuing to make it clear in all discussions that acts that may be criminal should be referred to the police.Communicating with Vice Chancellors to emphasise the use of robust disciplinary measures and the importance of police engagement.Establishing an antisemitism quality seal in HE, which will enable universities to demonstrate a tangible commitment to tackling antisemitism.In the 22 November 2023 Autumn Statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an additional £7 million of funding over three years for a comprehensive package of measures to tackle antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities. The department will issue an invitation to tender shortly for organisations interested in delivering this package.

Students: Loans

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average annual net effect of student loan interest payments on the public purse was in each of the last five years.

Robert Halfon: Student loan repayments are not broken down by interest versus loan portions, meaning that “student loan interest repayments” are not directly measured.The interest rate charged on a student loan does not affect the amount a borrower repays on a student loan in a given month because the repayment is a proportion of income over a threshold. Unlike mortgages, a higher interest rate on a loan does not lead to higher repayments. As such, in terms of cashflow, total repayment levels in the last 5 years are not greatly affected by increased interest rates.Statistics on income contingent repayments and interest added to student loans, at a national level, are published by the Student Loans Company here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2022-to-2023.

Children in Care

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of children that are looked-after in (a) the North East and (b) the UK.

David Johnston: The latest information on the numbers and rates of children looked after (CLA) in England as of 31 March 2023, including in the North East, can be found in the 'CLA numbers and rates per 10,000 children aged under 18 years - LA' table in the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoptions’, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/213d8053-d566-431e-96a7-08dc1cb7c782.The department publishes statistics for CLA in England only. Similar statistics for other countries in the UK are the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

Assessments

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing open book examinations for (a) English literature and (b) other subjects.

Damian Hinds: This is a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual). The department has asked its Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham CBE, to write to the hon. Member for Hull West and Hessle and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Students: Loans

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of increasing maximum student loan amounts in line with inflation.

Robert Halfon: The department has frozen maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years to deliver better value for students, and to keep the cost of higher education (HE) under control. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years.The government recognises the additional cost-of-living pressures that have arisen this year and that are impacting students. The department has therefore already made £276 million of student premium and mental health funding available for the 2023/24 academic year to support successful outcomes for students, including disadvantaged students.The government has increased loans for living costs each year for students in England, with a 2.8% increase for the current 2023/24 academic year, and a further 2.5% increase announced for the 2024/25 academic year. Decisions on student finance have had to be taken to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and the costs of HE are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.Students awarded a loan for living costs for the 2023/24 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.The department is now making a further £10 million of one-off support available to support student mental health and hardship funding. This funding will complement the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes.

Teaching Methods: Coronavirus

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with headteachers on the effectiveness of one-to-one learning for pupils who need to catch up on time missed in school as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of the National Tutoring Programme.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the National Tutoring Programme in closing the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of one-to-one learning for pupils who need to catch up on time missed in school as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.

Damian Hinds: The department is investing over £1 billion in tutoring via its flagship National Tutoring Programme (NTP). This has seen nearly five million tutoring courses commence since the programme started in November 2020, including over two million in each of the last two academic years. In the current academic year, 346,000 courses have started up to 5 October 2023. Just under half of pupils who have received tutoring are disadvantaged, which means that the programme is disproportionately targeting these pupils.There is extensive evidence that tutoring is one of the most effective ways to accelerate academic progress. The Education Endowment Foundation has found that, on average, pupils who receive small group tutoring may make four months additional progress. The department’s external evaluation of year two of the NTP, carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research, shows that School Led Tutoring has had a positive impact on pupil attainment at both key stage 2 and key stage 4.The department’s Implementation and Process Evaluation for the third year of the programme found that 78 per cent of senior leaders, teachers and tutors perceived that the NTP had a positive impact on pupils’ attainment and that 74 per cent felt the NTP was helping to reduce the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils.

Department of Health and Social Care

Department of Health and Social Care: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to table 15 of the Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, HC 33, published on 25 January 2024, what the distance travelled on domestic flights was in 2021-22.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Autism and Learning Disability: Temporary Accommodation

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) availability of alternative short-term accommodation provided by integrated care systems for (i) autistic people and (ii) people with a learning disability.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Long Term Plan committed to increased investment in intensive, crisis, and forensic community support to enable people with learning disabilities and autistic people to receive personalised care in the community, closer to home, and to reduce preventable admissions to inpatient services. All systems are expected to have a seven-day multi-disciplinary service and crisis care to support people when they are unwell.NHS England has worked with local systems to help them understand their gaps against this commitment and has invested £121 million to support local systems to continue developing and implementing these services during 2023/24. NHS England has commissioned the Local Government Association to work with local systems more intensively to identify and address challenges to implementing this model of community infrastructure, through the peer review programme.NHS England will continue to work with regional teams and local systems to identify and share areas of good practice, where services have been successful in reducing avoidable admissions to hospital, and helping people to leave hospital when they are clinically ready for discharge.Each integrated care board produces a five-year joint forward plan with partner trusts and foundation trusts. This will include the needs of the entire local population, including people with a learning disability and autistic people.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for child and adolescent mental health services in (a) St Helens North constituency and (b) the North West in the latest period for which data is available; and what steps she is taking to reduce those waiting times.

Maria Caulfield: Since 2018, we have invested an extra £2.3 billion a year to expand mental health services in England, with the aim of enabling two million more people, including 345,000 more children and young people to access mental health support.We’re rolling out mental health support teams to schools and colleges. These now cover approximately 35% of pupils and are expected to reach 50% of pupils by March 2025. NHS England is also developing a new waiting time standard for children and their families to receive community-based mental health care within four weeks of referral.Whilst the relevant data is not available at a constituency level, the following table shows the number of referrals for children and young people aged under 18 years old, supported through National Health Service-funded mental health, and waiting times for first contact between September and November 2023 for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB), North West Commissioning Region, and England: LocationNumber of referralsMedian waiting time between referral start date and first contact90th percentile waiting time between referral start date and first contactNHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB8,55021 days469 daysNorth West Commissioning Region26,12511 days250 daysEngland179,29513 days225 daysSource: Mental Health Services Data Set, NHS EnglandNotes:These metrics are in line with the proposed new waiting time standards for mental health but are not yet associated with a target, due to significant data quality concerns on the part of NHS England.The 90th percentile waiting time was 469 days meaning 10% of children and young people who received a first contact in this period waited over 469 days.

Mobility Scooters

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that adequate training is provided to people with mobility scooters.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing NHS patients who require a mobility (a) scooter and (b) other aids to choose the (i) provider and (ii) retailers of those aids.

Maria Caulfield: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State does not currently have any plans to make an assessment of either the potential merits of ensuring that adequate training is provided to people with mobility scooters or of the potential merits of allowing National Health Service patients who require mobility scooters or other aids to choose the provider and retailer of those aids.Mobility scooters are not generally available on the NHS in England. The NHS provides other mobility aids including wheelchairs, walking sticks, and walking frames. Walking frames and some types of walking sticks can be borrowed from the NHS. Advice on how to access these aids is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/care-services-equipment-and-care-homes/walking-aids-wheelchairs-and-mobility-scooters/The Government is supporting the roll-out of a nationwide certified powered wheelchair and mobility scooter assessment and training scheme. Through the Department for Transport Road Safety Research programme, funding has been provided to Driving Mobility, a registered charity with a network of driving assessment centres covering the whole of the United Kingdom. The training scheme that Driving Mobility is providing will train retail and hire businesses to assess the safe driving ability of individuals purchasing a mobility scooter, including NHS patients. The scheme will also provide retailers with information on best practice and recommendations on how to convey safe driving knowledge to individuals purchasing mobility scooters. Short tests will be included in order to judge competency so that extra support can be provided where needed. Driving Mobility launched the scheme in summer 2023. For NHS patients who require wheelchairs, integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services and the development of their local wheelchair service eligibility criteria based on the needs of their local population. NHS England is committed to supporting ICBs to implement personal wheelchair budgets. A personal wheelchair budget is a resource available to support people’s choice and provider of wheelchair, either within or outside NHS commissioned services. Since 2 December 2019, people who access wheelchair services, whose posture and mobility needs impact their wider health and social care needs, have a legal right to a personal wheelchair budget. The legal right was created by the National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2019.

Liver Diseases: North East

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to tackle liver disease in the North East.

Andrew Stephenson: The Northern Cancer Alliance is supporting services to enable the early detection of liver disease across the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS). More than 80% of patients with liver cirrhosis, a type of liver disease, have been invited to monthly ultrasound surveillance. This investment has also included £30,000 for the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust who will be using their funds to improve systems in relation to call and recall of patients to their six-monthly checks.Liver disease has several causes and can be associated with alcohol use or being overweight. The Government is investing significant amounts year on year in alcohol treatment through our 10-year drug strategy. In 2024/2025 the North East will receive a further £27 million, beyond funding provided by the Public Health Grant. Partners are also using a whole system approach to develop a healthy weight and treating obesity strategy for the North East and North Cumbria.The Department is supporting people with alcohol dependency through the Drug Strategy and NHS Long Term Plan by facilitating more people in need of treatment into local authority commissioned alcohol treatment services. Additional treatment and recovery funding, made available through the Drug Strategy, can also be used to increase capacity for screening for liver fibrosis in treatment settings and to establish effective referral pathways into treatment for liver disease.

Alexandra Hospital Redditch

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps the NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board has taken to (a) commission and (b) deliver services at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure that Alexandra Hospital in Redditch publish updated information on the scope of its services.

Andrew Stephenson: The Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) is responsible for commissioning services for the local area. The services at Alexandra Hospital are delivered by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.A wide range of services are delivered at Alexandra Hospital. The trust publishes information on services available at the Alexandra Hospital on its website. The Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB plans to increase the amount of planned elective activity carried out at the Alexandra Hospital, especially in orthopaedics.

Respiratory Diseases: Screening

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to encourage people to attend lung screening appointments.

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the proportion of people living in Yorkshire being reached by the targeted lung health checks.

Andrew Stephenson: By the end of March 2024, 48% of the eligible population of West Yorkshire will have been reached by targeted lung health checks. This figure includes the impact of the national programme overseen by NHS England and the Yorkshire Lung Screening Trial, which operates in the City of Leeds and has been funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research. The national requirement is that a full population rollout programme should be in place by 2028/29 and a local programme of expansion has already been developed to cover the remaining population within this timescale. This will include populations who will have aged into eligibility for targeted lung health checks whilst the initial programme has been developed across West Yorkshire. The rollout strategy for targeted lung health checks has been based around managing health inequalities and improving clinical outcomes.

Psychiatric Hospitals: Learning Disability

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of people with a learning disability detained in inpatient units for five or more years.

Maria Caulfield: In 2023/24, we are investing an additional £121 million to improve community support for people with learning disabilities and autistic people, as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. This includes funding for children and young people’s keyworkers.In November 2023, NHS England published national guidance setting out that a mental health in-patient stay for a person with a learning disability should be for the most minimal time possible and should be for assessments and treatments which can only be provided in hospital. This was followed by a letter from NHS England, the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services to local system partners across health and social care to ask that they have a concerted focus on supporting those people, who no longer need to be in hospital, in moving back into their local community in a safe and timely way, highlighting five key elements that are critical to enable this to happen.NHS England continues to work with local system partners to ensure that they have a good understanding of those people that are in hospital who are clinically ready for discharge, including those people that have been in hospital for more than five years, and that there are plans in place to support these people in leaving hospital when they are ready to do so. In July 2022, we published the Building the Right Support Action Plan, which sets out cross-government actions to strengthen community support and reduce reliance on mental health inpatient care for people with learning disabilities and autistic people. As well as overseeing implementation of the Action Plan going forward, the Building the Right Support Delivery Board will maintain focus on quality of care and on reducing long stays.To help ensure that a greater proportion of people with mental health needs, including those with learning disabilities, will be supported in their community, NHS England is investing £36 million over three years as part of the Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Inpatient Quality Transformation Programme.

Mental Health Services: Autism and Learning Disability

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) availability of forensic community support services for (a) autistic people and (b) people with a learning disability.

Maria Caulfield: This specific assessment has not been made. The NHS Long Term Plan committed to increased investment in intensive, crisis and forensic community support to enable people with learning disabilities and autistic people receive personalised care in the community, closer to home, and with reduced preventable admissions to inpatient services. All systems are expected to have a seven-day multi-disciplinary service and crisis care to support people when they are unwell.NHS England has worked with local systems to help them understand their gaps against this commitment and has invested £121 million to support local systems in continuing to develop and implement these services during 2023/24. NHS England has commissioned the Local Government Association to work with local systems more intensively to identify and address challenges in implementing this model of community infrastructure, through the peer review programme.NHS England will continue to work with regional teams and local systems to identify and share areas of good practice, where services have been successful in reducing avoidable admissions to hospital, and helping people to leave hospital when they are clinically ready for discharge.Each integrated care board produces a five-year joint forward plan with partner trusts and foundation trusts. This will include the needs of the entire local population, including people with a learning disability and autistic people.

Mental Health Services: Autism and Learning Disability

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on the number of Integrated Care Systems that have a specialist multidisciplinary and crisis support service for (a) autistic people and (b) people with a learning disability; and whether she has made an assessment of the (i) adequacy and (ii) availability of such services.

Maria Caulfield: The information requested is not held centrally as these services are commissioned locally. The NHS Long Term Plan committed to increased investment in intensive, crisis and forensic community support to enable people with learning disabilities and autistic people to receive personalised care in the community, closer to home, and with reduced preventable admissions to inpatient services. All systems are expected to have a seven-day multi-disciplinary service and crisis care to support people when they are unwell.NHS England has worked with local systems to help them understand their gaps against this commitment and has invested £121 million to support local systems in continuing to develop and implement these services during 2023/24. NHS England has commissioned the Local Government Association to work with local systems more intensively to identify and address challenges in implementing this model of community infrastructure, through the peer review programme.NHS England will continue to work with regional teams and local systems to identify and share areas of good practice, where services have been successful in reducing avoidable admissions to hospital, and helping people to leave hospital when they are clinically ready for discharge.Each integrated care board produces a five-year joint forward plan with partner trusts and foundation trusts. This will include the needs of the entire local population, including people with a learning disability and autistic people.

MMR Vaccine

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS has sufficient doses of measles vaccines.

Maria Caulfield: There are sufficient doses of the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine for the National Health Service immunisation programme in England. The UK Health Security Agency is responsible for the MMR vaccine supply across the United Kingdom, and there is sufficient supply for all of the UK, including for ongoing catch-up efforts.

Gynaecology: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in referral numbers to secondary care for gynaecological services in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Stephenson: No assessment has been made as health policy is largely devolved, and health services in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Cabinet Office

Import Controls

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the Border Target Operating Model on the (a) flow and (b) security of goods.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had recent discussions with industry stakeholders on (a) the border target operating model and (b) the potential impact of that model on (i) trade and (ii) customs operations.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the border target operating model on the (a) flow and (b) security of goods.

Alex Burghart: The UK Government is prepared for the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.The Border Target Operating Model takes an innovative approach to controls, making use of technology and data to make it simple for businesses to trade while maintaining the flow and security of goods. The controls introduced through the Border Target Operating Model are designed to keep the UK safe, protecting our food supply-chains and our agricultural sector from disease outbreaks that would cause significant economic harm.We have and will continue to work with the European Commission as well as individually with EU Member States to ensure local authorities are prepared for the controls. The Border Target Operating Model was developed through extensive consultation with industry stakeholders. We continue to publish further advice on gov.uk, and we engage directly with EU-based businesses and UK businesses through webinars, established business-government and commodity-specific fora to raise awareness of the forthcoming controls and seek feedback to address any concerns.In accordance with usual practice, we are undertaking a programme of operational testing with users of the border prior to the changes being implemented to ensure that any potential issues are identified and resolved. We will continue to monitor preparedness and to support businesses as the Border Target Operating Model is implemented.

Cabinet Office: Carbon Emissions

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what targets his Department has set to help achieve the Government's commitments on net zero.

Alex Burghart: The Cabinet Office Core Estate is currently focused on reducing its carbon emissions by 52% against its Greening Government Commitment 2017/18 baseline and the Net Zero target of 2050. The Government set out how we would meet our commitments in the Net Zero Strategy in 2021 which included a detailed breakdown of actions required across all sectors in the economy. This was updated in 2023 through the publication of ‘Powering Up Britain’. The UK has halved its emissions, ahead of every other major economy, and we have grown our economy by over 70% since 1990. The UK over-achieved against the first and second carbon budgets, and the latest projections show that we are on track to meet the third. We have one of the most ambitious decarbonisation targets in the world, and we have set more stretching targets for 2030 than most countries. We plan to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, which is more than the EU, Japan or the United States.

Home Office

Domestic Abuse: Information

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will have discussions with business on the potential merits of putting information about domestic abuse on period products.

Laura Farris: The Government engages regularly with businesses and employers to raise awareness of domestic abuse and to ensure that all survivors can access support to encourage a whole system response to improving signposting to services which are accessible to all.We do not currently have plans for such an initiative.

Police: Biometrics

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire during the Seventh sitting of the Public Bill Committee on the Criminal Justice Bill on Tuesday 16 January 2024, Official Report, column 214, which facial recognition database he would expect the police to use when checking a photograph of somebody committing a crime; and which databases the police have access to for facial recognition checks.

Chris Philp: Facial recognition is a valuable tool that helps police forces identify murderers, rapists and other suspects quickly and accurately and keep the public safe.Forces use the facial recognition facility on the Police National Database (PND) to search against images of previously arrested individuals. Further information is available at the following link: Police use of Facial Recognition FactsheetWhere it has not been possible to identify a suspect on PND, forces can submit requests to the Home Office for checks against the passport and immigration databases. The Home Office runs low-volume facial recognition searches against these databases, and the requests mostly relate to serious and national security cases.

Home Office: Carbon Emissions

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what targets his Department has set to help achieve the Government's commitments on net zero.

Chris Philp: The Government set out how we would meet our commitments in the Net Zero Strategy in 2021 which included a detailed breakdown of actions required across all sectors in the economy. This was updated in 2023 through the publication of 'Powering Up Britain'.The UK has halved its emissions, ahead of every other major economy, and we have grown our economy by over 70% since 1990. The UK over-achieved against the first and second carbon budgets, and the latest projections show that we are on track to meet the third.We have one of the most ambitious decarbonisation targets in the world, and we have set more stretching targets for 2030 than most countries. We plan to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, which is more than the EU, Japan or the United States.

Agricultural Machinery: Theft

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will consult the Agricultural Engineers Association on the drafting of regulations under the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023.

Chris Philp: The Government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which gained Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The Act will require immobilisers and forensic marking to be fitted as standard to specified new agricultural equipment such as All-Terrain Vehicles and quad bikes. The Act provides a power for the Secretary of State to extend these requirements to other equipment designed for use in agricultural or commercial activities, via secondary legislation.The Government committed to consult prior to introducing secondary legislation, to assess the feasibility of including hand-held power tools and larger agricultural equipment within the secondary legislation, and to ensure that practical considerations for manufacturers and retailers are considered fully.A Call for Evidence was published, seeking views on these detailed matters and specifically targeted at those who may be affected by the proposals should they become legislation, including manufacturers, dealers, retailers, tradespeople and law enforcement practitioners. The call for evidence closed on 13 July and the Government’s response will be published in due course.The Home Office is continuing to engage with stakeholders on the development of this legislation. I met retailers and manufacturers of power tools on 29 January to understand their views and the potential implications of this legislation, including the Agricultural Engineers Association.

Visas: Health Services

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that individuals with family in the UK who switch to a SOC 6145 health worker visa are not separated from their dependents.

Tom Pursglove: Individuals who choose to switch into a visa also choose to accept the terms and conditions of that visa. Further details on the net migration measures announced in December, including about dependant restrictions, are available here: www.gov.uk/government/news/fact-sheet-on-net-migration-measures-further-detail.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the contribution by the Minister for Immigration to the debate on Safe Asylum Routes: Afghan Refugees of 17 October 2023, official report, column 54WH, what progress he has made with Cabinet colleagues on reuniting Afghans evacuated under Operation Pitting in August 2021 with family members.

Tom Pursglove: The government remains committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan. The situation is complex and presents significant challenges, including how those who are eligible for resettlement in the UK can leave the country. This includes eligible immediate family members of those being resettled under the ACRS.For those evacuated from Afghanistan under ACRS P1 without their immediate family members, the Home Secretary has committed to establishing a route for separated families to be reunited. We expect to receive referrals in the first half of 2024.Individuals remaining in Afghanistan or elsewhere are not obliged to wait for the pathway for eligible family members of ACRS P1 to open. Appendix FM, for example, provides a route for those seeking to enter the UK on the basis of their family life.

Asylum: Children

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugee children were wrongly assessed to be adults by the Home Office between January 2022 and June 2023; and if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the report by the Refugee Council together with Helen Bamber Foundation and Humans for Rights Network entitled Forced Adulthood, published on 23 January 2024.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office does not publish the data requested, as this cannot currently be collected via national reporting systems. Our published data on age assessment can be accessed here which includes the number of age disputes raised and resolved. and whether the decision found the individual to be under or over 18.Our age assessment policies for immigration purposes seek to protect genuine minors and identify those who are adults. Determining the age of a young person is an inherently difficult task and therefore, the age assessment process for immigration purposes contains a number of safeguards.Where a new arrival does not have genuine documentary evidence of their age and their claimed age is doubted, an initial age decision is conducted as a first step to prevent individuals who are clearly an adult or child from being subjected unnecessarily to a more substantive age assessment and ensure that new arrivals are routed into the correct accommodation and processes for assessing their asylum or immigration claim.The Home Office will only treat an individual claiming to be a child as an adult, without conducting further enquiries, if two Home Office members of staff independently determine that the individual's physical appearance and demeanour very strongly suggests they are significantly over 18 years of age. The lawfulness of this process was endorsed by the Supreme Court in the case of R (on the application of BF (Eritrea)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UKSC 38.Where doubt remains and an individual cannot be assessed to be significantly over 18, they will be treated as a child for immigration purposes until further assessment of their age by a local authority.The Home Office is currently considering the contents and recommendations of the report by the Refugee Council together with Helen Bamber Foundation and Humans for Rights Network entitled Forced Adulthood, published on 23 January 2024.

Ministry of Defence

Defence Equipment & Support: Digital Technology

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 51 of the Defence Equipment & Support Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, when he plans that the new IT system PSyA are developing will be completed.

James Cartlidge: PSyA utilises the ISAbelle system, an in-house programme designed to manage the administration of International Visits, Industry Personnel Security Assurance and Facilities Security Clearance. The system has been developed in three phases; Phase 1 - International Visits Control Office: is complete and in use. Phase 2 - Industry Personnel Security Assurance: is on schedule to be delivered in early March 2024. Phase 3 - Facilities Security Clearance: Full implementation is dependent on a number of factors, including changes to strategic priorities as part of DE&S transformation and is not currently scheduled. Once requirements have been assessed, delivery would take between four and six months, with ongoing system support then in place. Until the final phase of the new information system is in place, DE&S will continue to operate the current system for managing data around the Facilities Security Clearance process.

Defence Equipment & Support: Digital Technology

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 51 of the Defence Equipment & Support Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, how many (a) mobile sensor and (b) communication technologies have been deployed.

James Cartlidge: There are several different capabilities that are used to ensure the security of the movement of munitions. It would not be appropriate to comment on these capabilities for reasons of safeguarding operational security.

Defence Equipment & Support: Cybersecurity

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 50 of the Defence Equipment & Support Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, how many people work in the Integrated Technical Services team.

James Cartlidge: The team in question was named incorrectly in the Defence Equipment and Support Annual Report and Accounts (ARAC) 2022-23; its correct name is the Internal Technical Support (ITS) team. This team contains 263 people. Of these, 60 work in the ITS-Security service detailed on page 50 of the ARAC.

Defence Equipment & Support: Cybersecurity

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 50 of the Defence Equipment & Support Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, what steps the DE&S Digital team have taken to deliver (a) internal information assurance and (b) the application of defence information assurance mechanisms across the supply chain.

James Cartlidge: The Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Digital team follows the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 27001 international standard for information assurance. This measures the maturity of, and informs improvements to, the cyber security controls across business Information Technology systems. Through this process, DE&S is annually audited by an external body and remains certified following the most recent audit in late 2023. Observations from ISO27001 audits are included into mitigation plans which are then delivered through either an internal team of security professionals, or by industry partners on their behalf. Security Assurance of MOD information across the supply chain is conducted as part of the Defence Cyber Protection Partnership (DCPP), a joint MOD and industry initiative to improve the protection of the defence supply chain from cyber threat. Through this process, DE&S contracts undergo a risk assessment and apply a cyber security control set proportionate to the sensitivity of the information held. DE&S Digital have an ongoing program of work to increase awareness and compliance to DCPP across the business, as well as participating in internal audits to check project compliance status so that improvements can be made where required.

Defence Equipment & Support: Solar Power

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 49 of the Defence Equipment & Support Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, when he plans that the design phase of solar installation for four of his Department's sites will be completed.

James Cartlidge: Defenfence Equipment and Support completed the design phase for the four solar installations, plus a further two, in November 2023.

Defence Equipment & Support: Environment Protection

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 48 of the Defence Equipment & Support Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, whether he has established high-level environmental objectives and targets.

James Cartlidge: High level objectives to enhance the environmental performance of defence Products, Systems and Services have been established since the publication of the Defence Equipment and Support Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23. The proposed targets against those objectives remain under development.

Ministry of Defence: Remote Working

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 48 of the Defence Equipment & Support Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, what weakness he has identified in delivery management oversight from staff working remotely.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 48 of the Defence Equipment & Support Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, what the conclusions of the Training Needs Analysis were.

James Cartlidge: Defence Equipment and Support identified the relatively sudden shift to 'large scale' Working From Home as a result of the C-19 pandemic may have resulted in some employees not receiving the appropriate levels of duty of care from their delivery managers which UK legislation describes and mandates. As a result, a Training Needs Analysis was carried out which established the need for additional training. A series of measures to address this training need have been implemented, including new Health and Safety training for all employees and managers. All Occupational Health and Safety policy and guidance has been reviewed to ensure it covers both office and remote scenarios.

Defence Equipment: Lost Property and Theft

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much military equipment of each equipment type has been (a) lost and (b) stolen in each year since 2015.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence has historically responded to Freedom of Information Requests (FOIs), answering the following three questions: 1. How many weapons (by type) and explosive munitions for which the Department has responsibility have been recorded as (a) lost and (b) stolen in [year]? 2. Please provide a list of all stolen items, value and location of the theft of all items that were recorded stolen in the [year] calendar year. 3. How many department computers, laptops, memory sticks were lost/stolen by month since January [year]?” The responses have included military equipment reported lost/stolen in addition to other items but are limited to only those cases reported to the centralised reporting functions concerned with Security and Fraud/Theft, Bribery and Corruption. The following are the links to those years that the published FOI requests can be located on GOV.UK: FOIData YearLinkFOI2018/031912017https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b89127ae5274a3cc44ba296/2018-03191.pdfFOI2019/033182018https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6099775fe90e07357045b079/20190401-FOI2017-03318-Final-R.pdfFOI2020/021372019https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/609977e5d3bf7f2888d18fa7/20200512-FOI2020-02137-Final-R.pdfFOI2021/017212020https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/605b2a85d3bf7f2f146949e8/20210318-FOI2021-01721-Final-redacted.pdfFOI2022/021982021https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/643fb97d8b86bb000cf1b4dd/FOI2022-02198_-_Request_for_data_on_stolen_or_lost_Military_weapons_and_equipment_in_2021.pdfFOI2023/025222022https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/643fb89f8b86bb0013f1b4f5/FOI2023-02522_-_Request_for_data_on_stolen_or_lost_Military_weapons_and_equipment_in_2022.pdf FOI requests were also responded to for calendar years 2015 and 2016 but the publication links are unavailable. The detail provided in those responses is therefore set out below: FOI2016/02451 (data for 2015) Weapons (by type): Lost: 0Stolen: 5 (1 x small arm (de-activated); 4 x Automatic weapons (3 de-activated)) Explosive munitions (interpreted as Ammunition): Lost: 4086Stolen: 2080 The table shows how many computers, laptops, memory sticks have been recorded in the MOD security incident management database as lost/stolen by month since Jan 11  20112012201320142015Jan1157616Feb11510178Mar1914181319Apr7914159May1771488Jun75247704*Jul52910109Aug8571510Sep2078298*3Oct731925Nov13711617Dec121270020  *These figures record the suspected loss of ICT as a result of an accounting error; investigation is on-going which will likely significantly reduce any ‘actual’ loss.  All stolen items from 1st January 2015 to 31st December 2015 (Confidential Hotline data) Items stolenLocationAlleged Offence Value where recordedItems recovered or partial recovery4 X MagazinesOxfordshire£0NoBikeChatham£625NoMilitary eqptWarminster£0Yescompass, binocularsLarkhill£0NomoneySouth Cerney, Gloucs£410No19 vehicle toolsMonmouth£769Noday sack, bootsBulford£0NoMFO box and contentsCatterick£0NoMultimeterHMS Illustrious£106NoMultimeterHMS Illustrious£106NoBody armour, sleeping bag, smockWimbish£812NoChainsawAldershot£0No43 x transceiversTaunton£24,247NoWebbingGloucester£300Noboots, vacuumRAF Halton£0NoMilitary eqptTidworth£0Nohelmet, webbingGermany£0NoartefactsDover£0Nosat navBlandford£96NoMilitary eqptBulford£0Nogym eqptBulford£0NoMilitary eqptBulford£0Nowelder, sand shot blaster, electric saw, electric drills, aluminium sheet metalBovington£0NoMilitary eqptTidworth£0NorespiratorTidworth£0NoprojectorSierra Leone£450NoMilitary eqptWiltshire£9,500Noday sack, night vision system, body armour, helmet, various items of deployable tactical engagement simulation kitKenya£0NoClimbing eqptRAF Valley£12,000NotoolkitTidworth£797Noinsulation test kit, oilHMS Illustrious£0Nohelmet mounting bracketeBay£0Noweapon sightLisburn, NI£1,812NoadaptorTidworth£1,170No2 x chainsaw, PPE eqptTidworth£1,773NomoneyGermany£0No2 x washing machinesInnsworth£416Nobearskin, respirator, drum sling, regimental crest, medal bareBay£856Noclothing, bearskin, swordWindsor£0Nowelding eqptColchester£573Nohydraulic fluid level indicatoreBay£0Noweapon sight, bi pod downgripGermany£0NoDiagnostic kit, retaining ring pliers, riveter, extractor screw set, brake adaptor, spanner wrench, socket wrench, 2 x mechanical puller, machinist vice, socket wrench set, impact wrench, thread insert kit, 2 x threading set, compression tester set, optical battery tester, liquid measureCanada£9,494NoMilitary eqptTidworth£1,500Noland rover, spare tyresWarminster£0NotoolboxCanada£0NoMilitary eqptBulford£3,258NoMilitary eqptLarkhill£0NoMilitary eqptTidworth£0NobikeBulford£950NotoolsTidworth£0NoMilitary eqptBulford£0NotoolsGermany£0Noday sackCatterick£170No2 x sleeping bags, jacket, trousers, helmetMorocco£337No2 x smock, poncho, sleeping bagColchester£0NoMilitary eqptCatterick£0Nobivie bag, jacketColchester£0Noboots, webbingColchester£299No2 x screwdriver, bar extension, tool bagCottesmore£0Notoolbox and toolsWattisham£0NoMilitary eqpt, clothingLarkhill£0NoMilitary eqptLarkhill£0NogeneratorLarkhill£1,000NoXboxWarminster£400NoMilitary eqpt, clothingLarkhill£1,030NoMilitary eqptWinterbourne Gunner£0NofuelBulford£0No4 x lightweight chemical agent detectorseBay£180Yeshelmet, 2 x respirator filter, field packBulford£301No5 x magazinesAfghanistan£75Nosleeping bag, sleeping mat, side pouch, rucksack, compression sack, sleeping bag cover, long back rucksackAldershot£0NolaminatorCatterick£0NoMilitary eqpteBay£0No10 x 12-hour ration packseBay£4,000YesBlackberryInnsworth£0NofridgeHMS Collingwood£294Nowebbing, helmet, jacket, smock, shirt, boots, thermal jacket, bergen, trousers, sleeping bag, exercise kitColerne£435Notechnogym run 700, 3 x treadmill, 2 x static bike, 2 x X stepper, cross trainer, 2 x exercise bike, 2 x race bike, 2 x cycle gym machineCatterick£18,202NoLandrover, 6 x machine bolt, 3 x carrier clamp, 3 x pneumatic wheel, 3 x pneumatic vehicle tyre, 3 x bracket, 3 x tyre valve extensionWiltshire£108,503NomeatWorthy Down£0No2 x training defibrillatorsHMS Excellent£615No3 x binoculars, 3 x club batonsBulford£621NovacuumBlandford£89No2 x drillRAF Leeming£180Nonight vision system, night image intensifierKenya£6,978NoMilitary clothingArmagh£9,918Nohelmet, radioeBay£0NomoneyGermany£2,144NoMilitary eqptTidworth£0Nopicture, flag, clockChippenham£70No30 x ink cartridgeHMS Vengeance£8,660Noboots, daysackStafford£300Novarious medalsLondon£0Nonight vision systemPirbright£4,500No12 x vehicle batteriesAbingdon, Oxfordshire£2,376Nomilitary eqptAfghanistan£0Nocamelbak, jet boil, poncho, jumper, tent pegs, respirator, respirator haversack, bungee's, canoe sacks, headover, jacketGermany£255NorespiratorCyprus£0Nolaptop power pack and cableCyprus£42No83 pieces of vehicle toolkitGermany£0No9 x Landrover spare wheelsKenya£0Nostationery itemsRAF Marham£0No2 x off road tyresKenya£0Notravel docs, 4 x magazine, bottle, 2 x simulation vest, 3 x daysacks, night vision sight, helmetKenya£326NolaptopBulford£0No9 x Landrover partsKenya£950Nonight vision systemKenya£2,500NoprojectorRAF Brize Norton£200NoalcoholChippenham£0Nofreight containing toolsRAF Brize Norton£10,000No3 x indoor footballsRAF High Wycombe£30No2 x brown leather armchairsOdiham£880NodrillOdiham£50NofuelRAF Coningsby£0Nosat nav, watch, bergen, compass, boots, mapRAF Wittering£250Nobody armourRAF Leuchars£0Noday sackRAF Waddington£0NomoneyPerham Down£520NoDay sack, containing military eqptLarkhill£0NoprojectorTidworth£0NoiPad4Germany£450No2 x HM forces railcardsAldershot£30NobikeGermany£500NoPersonal load carrying eqptGermany£0NoPersonal load carrying eqptGermany£0No2 x bikeAldershot£260Nodocking stationGermany£89NofuelLarkhill£183Nonight vision systemCanada£1,911Nodiving eqptRMA Sandhurst£1,022Nodigital cameraAfghanistan£285NohelmetGermany£209No2 x jacketStrensall£189NoTVThatcham£329No2 x TVGermany£0No3 x Night vision systemsCyprus£7,500NofuelPreston£127No2 x vacuumRAF Wyton£178NoMedalsEBay£0Nonight vision gogglesHMS Excellent£0Yesration packsCatterick£0Yesration packsEBay£0Nonight vision systemGermany£2,500Nostrimmer, car bufferGermany£315NoDell Base unitAbingdon, Oxfordshire£375Noamazon voucherAndover£10NoTVCirencester£439NominibusLondon£11,177Notent, 3 x chair, 6 x camouflage net, 112 x tent liner tensionerYork£2,734No4 x generatorThorney Island£10,000Norespirator, field packGermany£110Nogym weightsRAF Valley£294NogeneratorRAF Valley£720Nodummy rifle trg aidRMA Sandhurst£171Norowing machineTorpoint£1,350Nomobile phoneLisburn, NI£85Nodiving eqptBahrain£50,243Nonight vision systemPirbright£2,500NoclarinetHMS Raleigh£1,909Nothermal sightYork£15,556No2 x Laser light modulesWoolwich£1,824NobikeBulford£321No   FOI2017/03293 (data for 2016) Small Arms (Interpreted as the category type of weapons)Total reported as unaccounted for: 14 (lost and stolen)Explosive Munitions (interpreted as ammunition)Total reported as unaccounted for: 82877 (lost and stolen) Using the incident types of ‘Loss’ and ‘Theft’ the table shows how many computers, laptops, memory sticks have been recorded in the MOD security incident management database as lost/stolen by month since Jan 16Source - ISS Defence Assurance and Information Security (DAIS)  JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecComputers 111  215   Laptops1511102164244Memory Sticks15131122816643All items centrally reported stolen in the 2016 calendar year source - Fraud Defence (Confidential Hotline) Items stolenLocationAlleged Offence Value where recordedItems recovered or partial recovery19 x boxes of printer tonersBlandford£1,752NoMilitary EqptCatterick£0NoGrinder, Drill Port, 2 x Drill Hammer PortPaderborn, Germany£680No3 x Body Armour, Radiacmeter, Hunting knife, Torch, Stopwatch, Toolbox, Wiring harness, 10 x Multi tool.HMNB Clyde£2,334No2 x Cylinder assembly unitHMNB Clyde£602NoBootsFareham£150NoGeneratorBury£100NoDieselBournemouth£0NoECBAKenya£110NoNight Vision SystemKenya£2,251NoNight vision systemKenya£3,240NoRucksackKenya£195NoMoneyPlymouth£200NoDrumBulford£1,175No68 x Skirting platesBovington Park£19,328NoSpeakerKenya£271NoTransmitter setKenya£8,490NoCordless jigsaw, Cordless drillHMNB Devenport£619NoSight KitBelfast£150NoFuelEwyas Harold£0NoSwimming passesBlandford£500NoMilitary EqptLulworth£1,655NoRation packsPudsey£0NoTVHMNB Portsmouth£250NoNight Vision goggles, Body Armour Plates, Head mounted Night Vision sightsDyfed Powys£0NoNight Vision SystemTidworth£2,500NoTVHyde Park£504NoClothingFaslane£0NoFuelHolywood£0No3 x bikeTidworth£1,620NoScrap metalLeconfield£0NoBinocularsTidworth£151NoCollimator, 21 x Compass, 14 x WatchStafford£4,537NoRespirator, Field pack, 2 x Helmet, 2 x FilterAbingdon£230No3 x Storm case, 2 x Camera, 3 x Gopro Touch Bacpac, 3 x GoPro Battery Bacpac Hero, 3 x GoPro wall charger, 6 x GoPro cable, 3 x GoPro storage case, 1 x GoPro bobberCorsham£1,719NoCompass, 4 x Magazine, Blank Firing attachmentChester£236No20 x plate protection, 30 x Body armour, 10 x helmetHohne Garrison, Germany£4,944NoBike spinnerHohne Garrison, Germany£500NoTVWrexham£341NoReplica weaponWolverhampton£480No2 x Fuel key, FuelColerne£175No2 x Radio system, BMRC, Control Radio set, 4 x BatteryKenya£24882.06No2 x iPadAldershot£187NoPressure washerArbroath£107NoFan heaterAnglesey£288NoTVAnglesey£350NoVacuum CleanerAnglesey£117NoRucksackAnglesey£0No2 x vehicleSleaford£51,600partial recovery4 x Binocular, 4 x Compass, 4 x CaseLarkhill£1,153No2 x Hoover BagsMarchwood£18NoSat NavWrexham£135No3 x generator, Fuel, 3 x cable, 3 x GLS lightWarminster£26,939NoToolkitHounslow£654NoWork benchWarminster£950NoFuelSalisbury£1,694NoFuelSalisbury£1,042No2 x 5.56mm roundsAbingdon£0NoBootsAldershot£0NoSteam cleanerOxford£1,703No2 x Power pack, 3 x Mechanics creeper, Wiring harness, 3 x Wrench, Screw set, 2 x Drill, Toolkit, Balance SpringAlberta, Canada£2,838No2 x telescopic ladderArbroath£190No3 x Aircraft container, 3 x Folding cot, 4 x Chair, 23 x Water can, 14 x HelmetArbroath£2,545NoParachute systemCambridge£90NoMoneyGosport£350NoNight Vision System, Transmitter, single switchChester£3,147No6 x Exercise bikeCatterick£13,380NoWebbing, Water bottle, mug, 2 x mess tinCroydon£90NoHelmet, Waterproof jacket, Waterproof trousersCroydon£270NoTVHelston£499NoGeneratorMonkton£1,000NoClothingArbroath£230NoDocumentEbay£0NoBody armourScotland£504NoTRX kitCranwell£656NoFan heaterCranwell£218No2 x Fan heaterCranwell£436NoNight vision systemCatterick£2,490NoBike trailer, KayakInverness£839No2 x night vision system, Weapon sightCotesmore£7,080NoFuelGibraltar£50,000NoFuelHolywood£106No2 x Helmet, Body armour, Webbing , DaysackChester£994NoBody ArmourCatterick£109No2 x Fuel cardFareham£0NoMed Ball, KettleballYork£70No5 x ancillary itemPortsmouth£0No2 x Camp bedEbay£98No1 x HelmetLondon£1,641NoRespiratorScampton£129NoThermal ImagerNewcastle Upon Tyne£7,848NoExercise bikeReading£2,250NoMoneyPortsmouth£20YesMoneySouth Ruislip£311No7x Field packPlymouth£707NoMissile EpackCorsham£0NoLaptopWaddington£500NoProjectorWattisham£274No2 x Body ArmourWattisham£164NoClothingAnglesey£80NoiPadSalisbury£399No72 x Battery Storage, LaptopKenya£17,169NoMoneyKenya£13,333NoMoneyKenya£1,364No4 x Disc clutchKenya£237NoVehicle componentColchester£798NoSim cardTaunton£518No2 x computer monitorsWolverhampton£166No  The most recent FOI request responded to in December 2023 has yet to be published on GOV.UK. The detail provided is set out below: FOI2023/13989 (data for 2023 – up to 02/11/2023) For 01/01/2023 – 02/11/2023 I can confirm the following: 1. Weapons – lost / stolen: Source - Defence SecurityWeapons: Type QuantityLost/StolenDeactivated WWII Sten Gun SMG (on display in Mess)1LostDeactivated WWII Luger Pistol (on display in Mess) LostSA80 Rifle (lost on a training area) Lost & FoundDeactivated WWI German Machine Gun (lost on display outside Mess Lost & FoundExplosive Munitions: Type QuantityLost/Stolen5.56mm84Lost7.62mm145Lost9mm47Lost4.6mm0Lost12.7mm0Lost  Source - ISS Defence Assurance and Information Security (DAIS) MonthComputersLaptopsUSBsJan - 20230132Feb - 20230100Mar - 20230382Apr - 20230100May - 2023082Jun - 20230101Jul - 2023096Aug - 20230513Sep - 20230124Oct - 2023082Nov (Up to 2nd Nov)000Total016922   All items centrally reported stolen in the 2023 calendar year (up to 02/11/2023)Source: Fraud Defence Items stolenLocationAlleged offence value where recordedItems recoveredBody Armour, HelmetYeovilton£0NoHelmetYeovilton£0NoRespirator, Body Armour, HelmetYeovilton£0NoHelmetNot Known£450NoHelmetDevon£0NoBody Armour, HelmetYeovilton£0NoHelmetYeovilton£0NoWATT bike trainer monitorBirmingham£0NoBergen, Respirator, Helmet, Webbing, Scalable vestBulford Camp£0No12 x Jerry cans of DieselLarkhill Camp£0NoHelmetBulford Camp£0No2 x silver ornamentsBlandford Camp£0NoScalable vestTidworth Garrison£0NoCashSwinton Barracks£112NoHelmet, Scalable vest, LaptopTidworth Garrison£0NoBikeLarkhill Camp£0No65 x toolsMOD Lyneham£0NoLaptopYeovilton£54.69NoHelmetBuckley Barracks£0No9 x laptops, 2 x docking stations, 2 x handheld device batteries, 2 x printerin transit between Kenya and Brize Norton£21426.68No4 x Ear defendersTidworth Garrison£4400No2 x laser range findersHMNB Devonport£359.98NoDaysack, laptop, vehicle keys, webbing, helmet, jacket, bivi bag, ponchoKenya£2000NoMilitary issued equipmentBulford Camp£0NoHelmetCatterick Garrison£0NoWebbing, Scalable VestTidworth Garrison£0NoDaysackTidworth Garrison£58NoHelmetGloucestershire£370NoHelmetMaidstone£0NoWebbing, scalable vest, helmet, bagNot Known£0NoMandible, webbing, daysackTidworth Garrison£1535NoScalable vestTidworth Garrison£0NoRespiratorThiepval Barracks£102.91NoTVChester£1No2 x Daysacks, 12 x initiator safety fuses, safety fuseKenya£187.69NoRespirator, filterBristol£98.23NoHelmetTexas, USA£339.85NoFuelTidworth Garrison£0NoToolsTidworth Garrison£2184.51NoBody ArmourGermany£0NoRespiratorSwinton Barracks£0No2 x X-Box controllersFife£0NoGas detector, Helmet, endoscope cameraHMNB Portsmouth£0No5 x Land Rover Tyre rimsMiddle Wallop£1135NoHelmet, DaysackBassingbourn Barracks£0NoSA80 Rifle, 30 x Blank rounds, Laser Light Module, Lightweight Day sightKenya£0YesHelmet, Body ArmourCatterick Garrison£0NoOutboard motor, 2 x PropellerHMNB Devonport£3440.47NoVest, Helmet, RespiratorIn transit between Oman and Middle Wallop£544.19NoiPad Pro21, CashBicester£1500NoMilitary equipmentnot Known£0NoOffice suppliesKenya£0No3 x Bergens, CompassEdinburgh£0NoAir FryerPenicuik£0NoHelmetYeovilton£347.50NoGym equipmentCottesmore£0NoHelmetBovington Camp£58.95NoScalable vestBovington Camp£0NoHelmet, respirator, scalable vestTidworth Garrison£0NoScalable vest, Nape protections, Respirator filtersPirbright£0NoFridgeBulford Camp£0No6 x Medals, 6 x miniature medalsCirencester£0No4 x Bowman cable assembliesTidworth Garrison£0No2 x dDrillsBulford Camp£0NoHelmetBovington Camp£0NoScalable vest, helmet, respiratorHaverfordwest£0NoHelmet, emergency release strapSwinton Barracks£0NoToolsKenya£0NoCanbus terminatorTidworth Garrison£0NoEar defendersTidworth Garrison£0NoWhite goodsTidworth Garrison£0No2 x 9mm drill roundsTidworth Garrison£0No4 x torque wrench, sliding tee barHMS Bulwark£0NoTool kitHMNB Devonport£1111.28NoiPad miniCatterick Garrison£329NoMobile PhoneHolywood, NI£190NoBikeGloucestershire£0NotoolboxYork£600.87NoDecommissioned Baker RifleBulford Camp£0NoBergen several itemsBuckley Barracks£0NoBikeBulford Camp£0No2 x Generator airlinesSwinton Barracks£0No1 x decommissioned Heavy Machine GunTidworth Garrison£0NoDaysack, laptop chargerNormandy Barracks£0NoToolsHMS Bulwark£0NoBinocularsCatterick Garrison£233.34NoExercise equipmentCatterick Garrison£0NoRespirator, bootsCatterick Garrison£0NoUnder Body Armour Combat shirt and TrousersPirbright£0NoTumble dryerTidworth Garrison£300NoHelmet, shoulder padsTidworth Garrison£0NoTVGloucestershire£0NoPowerbankHMNB Clyde£950No   The status of the items provided in the FOI responses were correct at the point of responding to the FOIs where items may have since been recovered and accounted for.

Kenya: Armed Forces

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been paid in compensation in relation to allegations against members of the British Army Training Unit Kenya relating to (a) sexual abuse or violence and (b) other matters between 2000 and 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Between 2000 and 2024 no compensation has been paid relating to allegations against members of the British Army Training Unit Kenya in connection with sexual abuse or violence. There is one open claim that is currently under investigation. A total of £5.253 million compensation has been paid in the same period in relation to other matters.

Ammunition: Theft

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much ammunition of each ammunition type has been stolen in each year since 2015.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to 10876 on 30 January 2024.Ammunition Theft (docx, 17.9KB)

Armed Forces: Foreign Nationals

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-UK citizens who served in the Armed Forces for (a) four and (b) five years applied for indefinite leave to remain and had to pay visa fees in (i) 2021, (ii) 2022 and (iii) 2023.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total sum paid by non-UK citizens was who served in the armed forces for (a) four and (b) five years and were granted indefinite leave to remain in (i) 2021, (ii) 2022 and (iii) 2023.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total sum paid by the dependents of non-UK citizens was who served in the armed forces for (a) four and (b) five years and were granted indefinite leave to remain in (i) 2021, (ii) 2022 and (iii) 2023.

Dr Andrew Murrison: All applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK are submitted to, and decided by, the Home Office. The Ministry of Defence does not therefore hold information about the number of applications submitted by or granted to Serving personnel and their dependants; the length of Service at the point of application; or the fee paid.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral contribution of 24 January 2024, Official Report, column 352, on what evidential basis he authorised air strikes on the Miraj surface-to-air missile launchers near Sanaa airfield; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of those strikes on shipping in the Red Sea.

James Heappey: Every mission carried out by RAF aircraft is analysed carefully and informed by robust intelligence. The eight targets comprised Miraj surface to air missile launchers, which posed a threat to the success of the coalition operation against the military facilities involved in the Houthi anti-shipping campaign. Our analysis suggests that all of the targets were successfully engaged.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Social Rented Housing

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in the private rented sector are in receipt of the housing element of Universal Credit; of those households, how many have rents which exceed the local housing allowance rate; and what is the median gap between the rent and the local housing allowance broken down by the number of children in the household in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales, for the most recent period for which data is available.

Mims Davies: We are unable to provide a breakdown of estimates as providing this information will take us over the resource requirement for this PQ due to data quality issues.Government spends around £30bn annually on housing support. In addition, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates will be increased from April 2024 to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This will mean 1.6 million private renters in receipt of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit (UC) will gain on average around £800 a year in additional help towards their rental costs in 2024-25. This is at a cost of £7bn over five years.The Secretary of State has committed to review LHA rates annually. That review includes consideration of current rents, as well as the broader fiscal context. LHA rates are not intended to meet all rents in all areas: instead it ensures that claimants in similar circumstances and area are treated the same.For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and require additional support Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.7 billion to local authorities for households who need additional support with their housing costs.

Universal Credit: Social Rented Housing

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of households in receipt of the housing element of Universal Credit; how many of those households have rent that exceeds the local housing allowance rate; and whether he has made an estimate of the median gap between household rent and the local housing allowance in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales for the most recent period for which data is available.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households are in receipt of local housing allowance (LHA) in payment; of those households, how many and what proportion have rents which exceed the LHA; and what the median gap is between the rent and the LHA for those households also in receipt of (a) income support, (b) income-related employment support allowance and (c) income-related jobseeker’s allowance in (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales, for the most recent period for which data is available.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in receipt of universal credit in the private rented sector with the housing element in payment have one or more members with limited capability for work and/or for work-related activity; of those households, how many and what proportion have rents that exceed the local housing allowance (LHA) rate; and what the median gap is between the rent and the LHA in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales, in the most recent period for which data is available.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in the private rented sector there are in receipt of housing benefit in payment; of those households, how many and what proportion have rents which exceed the local housing allowance (LHA) rate; and what the median gap is between the rent and the LHA rate, for each broad rental market area in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales, in the most recent period for which data is available.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households there are in the private rented sector in receipt of universal credit with the housing element in payment; of those households, how many and what proportion have rents which exceed the local housing allowance (LHA); and what the median gap is between the rent and the LHA, for each broad rental market area in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales, for the most recent period for which data is available.

Mims Davies: The requested information is in the provided attachment. Government spends around £30bn annually on housing support. In addition, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates will be increased from April 2024 to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This will mean 1.6 million private renters in receipt of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit (UC) will gain on average around £800 a year in additional help towards their rental costs in 2024-25. This is at a cost of £7bn over five years.The Secretary of State has committed to review LHA rates annually. That review includes consideration of current rents, as well as the broader fiscal context. LHA rates are not intended to meet all rents in all areas: instead it ensures that claimants in similar circumstances and area are treated the same. For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and require additional support Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.7 billion to local authorities for households who need additional support with their housing costs.Table 1 (xlsx, 54.3KB)

Department for Work and Pensions: Email

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of offering secured e-mail as a communications option for his Department's customers upon request.

Paul Maynard: DWP utilises technology which allows encryption with most providers of personal email services, such as Gmail or Outlook, helping this stay secure. As such, email communication with customers is currently permitted in certain circumstances, for example, where the customer has a reasonable adjustment in place. The Department is keen to utilise the benefits provided by email communication and is currently exploring the possibilities of expanding its use of email to communicate with customers.

Department for Work and Pensions: Carbon Emissions

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what targets his Department has set to help achieve the Government's commitments on net zero.

Paul Maynard: The Government set out how we would meet our commitments in the Net Zero Strategy in 2021 which included a detailed breakdown of actions required across all sectors in the economy. This was updated in 2023 through the publication of 'Powering Up Britain'. The UK has halved its emissions, ahead of every other major economy, and we have grown our economy by over 70% since 1990. The UK over-achieved against the first and second carbon budgets, and the latest projections show that we are on track to meet the third. We have one of the most ambitious decarbonisation targets in the world, and we have set more stretching targets for 2030 than most countries. We plan to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, which is more than the EU, Japan or the United States. DWP supports Defra’s Greening Government Commitments. These targets are set every five years and support the UK Carbon Budgets. The current agreed targets are a 45% reduction in DWP’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and a 17% reduction in direct emissions by 2024/25, which the Department is on track to deliver.

Universal Credit

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were in receipt of Universal Credit in December (a) 2021 and (b) 2023.

Jo Churchill: The Department regularly publishes Universal Credit statistics. Statistics of the number of people who are on Universal Credit each month are published monthly and are currently available to December 2023 on Stat-Xplore. Monthly statistics of the number of households who have received a Universal Credit payment are published every three months on Stat-Xplore and are currently available to August 2023, with statistics to November 2023 due to be published on Tuesday 13th February 2024 at 09:30am. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Treasury

VAT

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to monitor the application of HMRC's charter for businesses with different VAT arrangements.

Nigel Huddleston: HMRC’s Customer Experience Committee oversees HMRC’s performance against the Charter and provides an annual report to set out progress in meeting Charter standards.Performance against the charter is continually monitored by service standards, customer feedback surveys and other data, for example complaints.Each year HMRC commissions independent customer surveys to review customer experience and perceptions for Individuals, Small Businesses, Agents, Mid-sized businesses and Large Businesses.

Adjudicator's Office: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to monitor the quality of the Adjudicator’s Office's interactions with applicants in the context of its work investigating complaints about HMRC.

Nigel Huddleston: The Adjudicator meets the Second Permanent Secretary, Director General for Customer Strategy and Tax Design and HMRC’s lead Non-Executive Director to discuss performance and to share insights, as referenced in the Service Level Agreement between HMRC and the Adjudicator's Office (AO), published on GOV.UK. The Adjudicator is invited to attend HMRC’s Board at least annually, and any appropriate Board Committee, to keep them updated on customer service and complaint handling issues. The Adjudicator publishes an annual report covering performance and how HMRC has handled complaints referred by its customers, including learning from complaints and providing insights. HMRC and the Valuation Office Agency publish an annual departmental response addressing the feedback and recommendations within the Adjudicator’s report.

Apprentices: Taxation

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the total revenue raised via the apprenticeship levy from businesses in Scotland for each of the last five years.

Nigel Huddleston: Reliable estimates of the revenue raised from businesses in Scotland from the apprenticeship levy are not available as any estimate would need to be based on where employers are registered, and therefore would not necessarily reflect where the liabilities are accrued or where employees are based. Any estimate would not include businesses registered in Wales, Northern Ireland, or England, who have a presence and pay employees in Scotland.

Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme

Matt Western: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme limit to £500,000 for eligible companies.

Nigel Huddleston: The government recently expanded the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) to help more UK start-ups to raise higher levels of finance. In April 2023, the amount of SEIS funding that companies can raise was increased from £150,000 to £250,000 and the annual investor limit was increased from £100,000 to £200,000. The eligibility of the SEIS was also expanded as the limit on the age of a company’s trade was increased from 2 years to 3 years and the company gross asset limit was increased from £200,000 to £350,000. These changes increase the generosity and availability of the SEIS whilst ensuring it remains appropriately targeted at those very early-stage companies that investors view as the highest risk. Companies that outgrow the SEIS can utilise the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) to raise further finance.

Financial Services: Climate Change

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority on the adequacy of climate risk advice provided by investment consultants to (a) local authorities and (b) other third parties.

Bim Afolami: Investment consultants play an important role in advising local authorities and other third parties on a range of areas such as investment strategy, strategic asset allocation and climate risk. Specific conversations have not taken place between the Chancellor and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on the provision of this advice. In general, the advice that investment consultants provide does not constitute a regulated activity and is therefore not within the remit of the FCA. The Government is fully committed to tackling climate change and delivering on our legal obligations to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050, our interim targets and our international commitments. We recognise the significant role that Local Authorities will play in the delivery of our net zero ambitions. Local Authorities have deep understanding of the local area and decide how best to serve their communities. They have flexibility in how they take action to address Net Zero, and can seek and assess their own guidance to determine what works best for them depending on their varied opportunities, needs and circumstances in their area.

Individual Savings Accounts: Fees and Charges

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to reduce the Lifetime ISA withdrawal penalty.

Bim Afolami: The Lifetime ISA (LISA) is designed to support people to achieve the aspiration of homeownership, or to build up savings for their later life. LISA funds, including any Government bonus, can be withdrawn for the purchase of a first home under £450,000, in the case of terminal illness or from the age of 60.Any unauthorised withdrawals are subject to a 25% withdrawal charge. This recoups the government bonus, any interest or growth arising from it, and a proportion of the individual’s initial savings to discourage such withdrawals and protect the long-term nature of the account. Reducing the withdrawal charge would encourage the use of LISAs in ways for which they were not intended.

Individual Savings Accounts

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to (a) equalise and (b) increase the Lifetime ISA and Help-to-Buy ISA property price thresholds.

Bim Afolami: The Government is committed to supporting people of all incomes and at all stages of life to save, and to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible.While the Government will continue to monitor the situation, it currently remains of the view that the property price cap for the Lifetime ISA and Help to Buy ISA is set at an appropriate level to support most first-time buyers across the UK while targeting households that may find it most difficult to get onto the property ladder.Data from the latest UK House Price Index demonstrates that the average price paid by first-time buyers is below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK.The Government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review, and considers all representations made carefully, with any changes made as part of the Budget process.

Members: Correspondence

Janet Daby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 24 November 2023 and (b) 8 January 2024 from the hon. Member for Lewisham East, case reference JD38220.

Gareth Davies: I would like to reassure the Member that her correspondence has been transferred to Cabinet Office and will be responded to shortly.

Alcoholic Drinks: Taxation

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of alcohol duty on levels of public health.

Gareth Davies: Treasury ministers and officials regularly engage with the Department of Health and Social Care on a variety of issues, including alcohol policy. The Treasury also engaged extensively with external stakeholders and other Government departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care, as part of the policy development and delivery process for the new alcohol reforms. The Government has delivered on its commitment to review the outdated and complex alcohol duty system and introduced the biggest reform of alcohol duties for over 140 years. From 1 August 2023, all alcoholic products are now taxed by strength, putting public health at the heart of alcohol duty. The Government is closely monitoring the impact of the recent reforms and will evaluate the impact of the new rates and structures three years after the changes took effect on 1 August 2023. This will allow time to understand the impacts on the alcohol market and public health, and for HMRC to gather useful and accurate data to evaluate the reform's effects.

Government Departments: ICT

Julie Elliott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) budget and (b) spending was on remediation of legacy IT systems across central Government in each of the last three years; and what proportion of the overall digital and technology budget for central Government does this spending represent.

Laura Trott: Individual departmental spending on the remediation of legacy IT systems is the responsibility of each department.

Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority: Climate Change

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of placing statutory duties on the (a) Financial Conduct Authority and (b) Prudential Regulation Authority to help meet the UK's climate targets.

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to amend the cooperation agreement between the Society of Lloyds and the Prudential Regulation Authority to place obligations on Lloyds of London to help meet the UK's climate targets.

Bim Afolami: The financial regulators’ primary focus must be to ensure the safety, soundness and integrity of the markets they regulate. While the government expects that the regulators will play a crucial role in supporting the achievement of the government’s net zero target, it is not their primary responsibility given many of the levers for change sit outside of financial services regulation. However, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 introduced a new regulatory principle for the Financial Conduct Authority, Bank of England and Payment Systems Regulator to consider in their work. To further strengthen the UK’s regulatory regime relating to climate and the environment, the government has embedded the consideration of the UK’s climate and environmental targets across the full breadth of the regulators’ general functions on a statutory basis. This regulatory principle seeks to cement the government’s long-term commitment to transform the economy in line with its target to reach net zero by 2050, and to make progress towards the government’s long-term environmental goals, by ensuring the regulators must have regard to the government’s commitment to achieve these targets when discharging their functions. This principle does not create any specific requirements on firms. Rather, they are expected to inform the future work of the regulators.

Insurance Companies: Carbon Emissions

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will issue guidance to insurance companies on reducing emissions from installations financed by those companies.

Bim Afolami: Insurance companies make commercial decisions about the investments they make and the coverage they provide. The Government does not intervene in these commercial decisions as it could damage market competition. However, the Government recognises the important role insurers play as investors in supporting the transition to net zero and has introduced a framework for Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) to help provide the market, including insurance companies, with information to inform their decision making and allocation of capital.

Bank Services: Japan

Mark Logan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of barriers to opening bank accounts in the UK faced by Japanese companies on the ability of those companies to expand in the UK.

Bim Afolami: I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave to PQ UIN 9958 given on 23 January.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing stamp duty for homes with higher energy efficiency.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of offering stamp duty rebates to households that upgrade their EPC rating within the first two years of home ownership.

Bim Afolami: Improving the energy efficiency of our housing stock will be vital in the long-term to making the UK more energy resilient, bringing down energy bills and meeting our 2050 net zero commitment.Introducing tax incentives based on green energy installations could add significant complexity to the operation of the current system, as well as having an impact on the Exchequer. The government keeps all tax policy under review, and any changes are announced at fiscal events as usual.

Electronic Cigarettes: Taxation

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his Department's policy to introduce an excise tax on disposable vapes.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the (a) sale and (b) taxation of disposable vapes.

Gareth Davies: The Prime Minister has announced that disposable vapes will be banned in the UK as part of plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping and protect children’s health. In addition, we will introduce new powers to restrict vape flavours, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops so they don’t appeal to children.The Government thinks there is a strong case to take action to reduce the affordability of vapes and is continuing to consider options, including a new duty, to achieve this.

Mortgages

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to help facilitate the entry of new lenders offering long-term fixed rate mortgages backed by institutional bonds to the market.

Bim Afolami: The pricing and availability of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, lenders in the UK already do offer this type of mortgage product, and those looking to take out a long-term fixed rate mortgage are encouraged to shop around and speak to a broker to find the best possible product for them.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much insurance premium tax was collected from car insurance in each year since 2010.

Bim Afolami: HMRC does not hold the information requested. Insurance Premium Tax returns do not include a breakdown of the tax due on specific products, as this may impose an excessive administrative burden on customers. Information on monthly Insurance Premium Tax receipts is published in the document, “HMRC tax receipts and National Insurance contributions for the UK”, found at the link below. www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk

Developing Countries: Debts

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had recent discussions with international counterparts on a strategy to reduce debt in low-income countries.

Bim Afolami: As the Government’s lead on sovereign debt issues, HM Treasury maintains regular engagement with its international counterparts – including the IMF, World Bank, and other G7 and G20 members – to address debt vulnerabilities in low-income countries. Discussions take place bilaterally and in the relevant fora, including G7 and G20 meetings, and the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable. For countries facing unmanageable debt burdens, the UK also coordinates with other official creditors to provide debt restructurings when needed – both at the Paris Club or as part of the G20 Common Framework.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of decreasing insurance premium tax for car insurance.

Bim Afolami: IPT is a tax on general insurance premiums charged at two rates: a standard rate at 12%, including car insurance, and a higher rate at 20%. Insurance pricing is a decision which is affected by a wide range of factors, and the taxes that insurers pay are just one part of this. It is hard to predict the impact of an IPT reduction on motor insurance pricing because this depends on how insurers react. Furthermore, revenue raised from IPT helps the Government to fund vital public services, including the NHS, education and defence. The Government currently has no plans to reduce Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) on car insurance.

Ministry of Justice

Wandsworth Prison: Prison Officers

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many days of time off in lieu are prison officers at Wandsworth Prison owed in total as of 25 January 2024.

Edward Argar: Time off in lieu is given in respect of additional duties performed in excess of an officer’s weekly hours, where such duties cannot be covered effectively by other means.At HMP Wandsworth, as of 25 January 2024, an average of 13.4 hours was owed per Band 3 prison officer.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults against prison staff took place in England in 2023, broken down by prison.

Edward Argar: We publish the number of assaults against prison staff, broken down by prison, as part of our Safety in Custody statistics, in Table 8e of the summary tables, available at the following link:Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Figures up until September 2023 have been published at the above link, however figures for the whole of 2023 are not due for publication until April 2024 and cannot be released at this time.We are committed to making prisons a safe place to work and providing prison officers with the right support, training and tools to empower them to do their jobs.To protect staff and prisoners in very serious assaults, we are continuing to roll out PAVA – a synthetic pepper spray – for use by prison officers in the adult male estate. Staff are able to use the PAVA spray where there is serious violence or an imminent or perceived risk of it.We have rolled out a new Body Worn Video Camera system which has increased the overall number of cameras across public sector prisons to over 13,000. This enables every operational band 3-5 officer on shift to wear a camera. They are supported by a new Policy Framework which mandates the wearing of the cameras.The new Body Worn Video Camera system will be fully networked and accessible via current prison IT improving access to footage and the ability to share it with other agencies, with the overall aim of increasing use and transparency. The cameras will provide high-quality evidence to support prosecutions against prisoners who commit assaults.

Prisoners: Death

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people with epilepsy have died in prison (a) from all causes and (b) as a direct result of their epilepsy in the last ten years.

Edward Argar: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Every death in custody is a tragedy and we continue to do all we can to improve the safety of prisoners. All deaths in prison custody are subject to a coroner’s inquest.The HMPPS National Health and Safety Arrangements for First and Emergency Aid (publishing.service.gov.uk) require each prison to complete a first aid needs assessment, taking account of local risk and demand. All sites must have in place suitable numbers of adequately trained staff, equipment, and facilities to meet the need for first aid provision. First Aid training provided to prison staff – such as the course provided by St Johns Ambulance, which includes a wide range of topics, including how to deal with epileptic seizures – meets the standard required to comply with the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations.

Prisons: Epilepsy

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of epilepsy (a) awareness and (b) first aid training for prison staff.

Edward Argar: The HMPPS National Health and Safety Arrangements for First and Emergency Aid (publishing.service.gov.uk) require each prison to complete a first aid needs assessment, taking account of local risk and demand. All sites must have in place suitable numbers of adequately trained staff, equipment, and facilities to meet the need for first aid provision. First Aid training provided to prison staff – such as the course provided by St Johns Ambulance, which includes a wide range of topics, including how to deal with epileptic seizures – meets the standard required to comply with the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations.Information for all HMPPS staff about epilepsy is provided on the Occupational Health employee information website https://hmpps.workplacewellbeing.com/guidance/epilepsy/. This explains how epilepsy affects safety at work, and how managers can ensure adequate first aid cover by reviewing risk assessments, implementing reasonable adjustments, and making referrals to Occupational Health.

Prisoners' Release: Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps with the Department of Health and Social Care to provide (a) alcohol and (b) drug treatment to people upon their release from prison.

Edward Argar: We know that keeping prison leavers in drug and alcohol treatment is vital to reduce reoffending, and we work closely with the Department for Health and Social Care to provide continuity of care. The Ministry of Justice is investing to tackle drug and alcohol misuse and engage more offenders in treatment, including recruiting Health and Justice Coordinators in every probation region to improve links between prison and local drug and alcohol treatment services, and Drug Strategy Leads in key prisons to ensure a focus on drug and alcohol treatment. We are also rolling out more secure video calling technology, providing prisoners with the opportunity to engage with community treatment pre-release. The Department for Health and Social Care are also investing £532m in new drug and alcohol treatment and recovery places in the community.

Prisoners: Addictions

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number and proportion of prisoners with addiction-related health issues who did not engage in treatment in prison in 2022.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice works closely with NHS England to ensure that all prisoners who need it have access to high-quality substance misuse treatment. All prisoners receive a comprehensive health screening within their first week to identify drug misuse and related health needs, and agree a plan for recovery-focused treatment. To support and encourage more prisoners to make progress in recovery, we are rolling out a range of interventions, including increasing the number of Incentivised Substance-Free Living wings, recruiting dedicated staff in prisons to focus on tackling drugs, and supporting prisoners to access community treatment pre-release. The Ministry of Justice does not hold substance misuse healthcare data on prisoners, which is managed by the Department of Health and Social care through the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS).

Sexual Offences: Criminal Injuries Compensation

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to extend the time limit for Criminal injuries Compensation Claims for victims of sexual abuse.

Laura Farris: The Government-funded Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the Scheme) exists to compensate for serious physical or psychological injury attributable to being a direct victim of a crime of violence. As the Scheme is publicly funded, strict eligibility criteria apply.There are already special arrangements in place for people applying for compensation for an injury sustained in childhood, and in all cases where a claim is made outside of the applicable time limit they can be considered in exceptional circumstances.We recently held a public consultation on potential reforms to change the length of time people have to submit a claim to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. We asked for views on increasing the time limits for child victims of sexual abuse, as well as other violent crimes, and on increasing them for all applicants. We will make decisions about whether to amend the time limits as soon as possible in 2024 as part of our comprehensive review of the Scheme.

Fly-tipping: Sentencing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to review sentencing guidelines for fly-tipping.

Gareth Bacon: Sentencing guidelines are developed by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales, as required by statute.As an independent body, the Sentencing Council decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing guidelines. Therefore, the Government cannot require the Council to review particular guidelines. However, it is open to individuals to approach the Council to ask that it does so.The Council’s published criteria for developing or revising guidelines is available on its website at: www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/sentencing-and-the-council/about-the-sentencing-council/our-criteria-for-developing-or-revising-guidelines.The Ministry of Justice regularly monitors the effectiveness of the sentencing framework.

Department for Business and Trade

UK Trade with EU: Import Duties

Mark Logan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if her Department will open negotiations with the European Union on a no tariff charge for goods and imports.

Greg Hands: The UK has a comprehensive zero-tariff, zero-quota Free Trade Agreement with the European Union that eliminates tariffs on UK imports from and exports to the European Union, subject to goods meeting the relevant rules of origin.This Government is committed to the ensuring the smooth running of the agreement to the benefit of UK business and consumers, such as via the annual framework of Trade Specialised Committees. For example, on 21st December 2023 HMG announced an agreement with the EU to extend trade rules on electric vehicles saving manufacturers and consumers up to £4.3 billion in additional tariffs.

Railways: Exports

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of the value of rail exports in (a) 2023, (b) 2024, (c) 2025 and (d) 2026.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Research published by Oxford Economics in 2021 estimated that the rail industry contributed £43 billion Gross Value Added to the UK economy in 2019, supporting 710,000 jobs.The ONS data shows that in 2022 the UK exported £433 million rail transport services and £293 million worth of railway equipment in this year.For the 12 months to November 2023, ONS goods data shows that the UK exported £453 million worth of railway equipment. Services data is not available for this time period.We do not have estimates for the value of UK rail exports in 2024 or in future years. However, this Government will continue to help UK companies to export from the rail sector and our Export Strategy sets out the support we provide through our network of international trade advisers, sector specialists, UK Export Finance, and the export support service.

Railways: Exports

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an estimate of the value of (a) rail industry and (b) all exports in the last 12 months.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Research published by Oxford Economics in 2021 estimated that the rail industry contributed £43 billion Gross Value Added to the UK economy in 2019, supporting 710,000 jobs.The ONS data shows that in 2022 the UK exported £433 million rail transport services and £293 million worth of railway equipment in this year.For the 12 months to November 2023, ONS goods data shows that the UK exported £453 million worth of railway equipment. Services data is not available for this time period.We do not have estimates for the value of UK rail exports in 2024 or in future years. However, this Government will continue to help UK companies to export from the rail sector and our Export Strategy sets out the support we provide through our network of international trade advisers, sector specialists, UK Export Finance, and the export support service.

Department for Business and Trade: Carbon Emissions

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what targets her Department has set to help achieve the Government's commitments on net zero.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government set out how we would meet our commitments in the Net Zero Strategy in 2021 which included a detailed breakdown of actions required across all sectors in the economy. This was updated in 2023 through the publication of 'Powering Up Britain'. The UK has halved its emissions, ahead of every other major economy, and we have grown our economy by over 70% since 1990. The UK over-achieved against the first and second carbon budgets, and the latest projections show that we are on track to meet the third. We have one of the most ambitious decarbonisation targets in the world, and we have set more stretching targets for 2030 than most countries. We plan to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, which is more than the EU, Japan or the United States. The Department for Business and Trade’s activities contribute to these objectives by facilitating private investment into priority green sectors, supporting scale up of green businesses and building resilient supply chains for the net zero transition.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Climate Change Committee: Public Appointments

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero of 16 January 2024, Official Report, column 679, if she will publish correspondence she has had with her counterparts in the devolved Administrations on the appointment of a new Chair to the Climate Change Committee.

Graham Stuart: The Government places significant emphasis on successfully concluding this campaign and is working with the Devolved Administrations to ensure a suitable Chair is appointed as soon as possible. It is important that the Government and Devolved Administrations are able to discuss the appointment in private as it involves personal information about the candidates. It would therefore not be appropriate to publish the correspondence relating to this decision-making process.

Energy: Meters

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has had discussions with Ofgem on the projected number of households which (a) will be impacted by the Radio Teleswitch Service switch off and (b) won't be moved onto new Smart Meter metering options in time for the switch off.

Amanda Solloway: Ofgem’s recent Open Letter confirmed the numbers of households reliant on the Radio Teleswitching Service: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/open-letter-smart-meter-installations-prepayment-and-radio-teleswitch-customers The Government expects energy suppliers to upgrade households with RTS to smart meters in good time in advance of the switch off. Households should contact their energy supplier to arrange their upgrades as soon as possible so they can continue to benefit from multi rate tariffs.

Energy: Debts

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department's policy is to help households that have accumulated energy debt.

Amanda Solloway: The Government is continuing to support those who need it the most, with millions of households receiving up to £900 in further cost of living payments. This is in addition to established support for vulnerable and low-income households through the Winter Fuel Payment worth £250 - £600 and the £150 Warm Home Discount. The Government expects suppliers to do all they can to support customers in debt, particularly vulnerable customers. Ofgem has launched a consultation on options to protect the energy market and consumers from the risk of increasing debt.www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/ofgem-explores-options-amid-rising-consumer-debt.

Energy: Meters

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information her Department holds on the number of households that have been involuntarily fitted with pre-payment meters following (a) smart meter installation and (b) remote switching.

Amanda Solloway: The Government does not hold this data. The Government has always been clear on the importance of protecting energy consumers, particularly the most vulnerable. It is a matter for Ofgem as the regulator to determine when suppliers are able to restart PPM installations, in line with the conditions for restart they set out in April last year. We will continue to monitor the situation closely as installations resume to ensure Ofgem’s tough new rules are followed and lead to improved protections for consumers.

Energy: Debts

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an estimate of the average level of household energy debt in each region.

Amanda Solloway: The Government does not hold this information. Ofgem collects energy debt and arrears data on a supplier basis and publishes statistics against several criteria but not region. Ofgem’s statistics can be found at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/debt-and-arrears-indicators

Energy: Costs

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department plans to publish a call for evidence on fairness and affordability.

Amanda Solloway: We are committed to tacking fuel poverty and we are reviewing the Fuel Poverty Strategy to reflect the challenges faced by households after the COVID-19 pandemic and energy price rises. We have been working with Ofgem to ensure consumers are protected, including new rules on involuntary pre-payment meter installations. Alongside this, the Government is committed to supporting those most in need with up to £900 in further cost-of-living payments this winter alongside established financial support such as the £150 Warm Home Discount.

Private Rented Housing: Energy

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the energy efficiency of private rented homes.

Amanda Solloway: We are investing £6.6 billion this Parliament and a further £6 billion to 2028 on making buildings cleaner and warmer. That is in addition to the £5 billion that will be delivered through the Energy Company Obligation and the Great British Insulation Scheme up to March 2026. All of our ‘Help to Heat’ schemes are available to eligible households in the private rented sector We have also improved our information and guidance for those households who want to make energy efficiency upgrades to their property through our digital assist service: www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency. This has also introduced two eligibility checkers to help landlords and tenants understand the measures available to them.

Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Lighting

Keir Mather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the impact of bright (a) LED and (b) conventional motor vehicle headlights on people in rural communities.

Anthony Browne: All types of road vehicle headlamps are designed, tested and approved to internationally recognised standards to help prevent undue glare on a broad range of roads and environments. However, the Government is aware of concerns raised by members of the public and we are considering options for building our evidence base on this issue.

Railways: Finance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the budget for rail enhancements in England and Wales between 2024 and 2029 is.

Huw Merriman: The rail enhancement budget has been separated from the overall Network Rail Operations Maintenance and Renewals budget, known as the Statement of Funds Available, since 2018. The government published its approach to rail enhancements across England and Wales in the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline[1] (RNEP) in 2018. Since Spending Review 2021 we have spent around £2bn a year on rail enhancements on the conventional network. Major projects, including HS2, Crossrail and East West Rail, are funded separately. As previously, the RNEP budget beyond the current Spending Review period (ending in 24/25) will be set at future fiscal events.   [1] Rail network enhancements pipeline - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

High Speed 2 Line

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of cancelling HS2 Phase 2 on future levels of road traffic between Birmingham and Manchester.

Huw Merriman: This Government is committed to alleviating congestions on our country’s roads. Through Network North we will progress major road schemes aimed at helping Manchester – such as the M6 south of Manchester to Birmingham, which includes improvements to Junction 15. This junction is a key economic artery and improvements will aim to ease congestion and improve connectively between the Midlands and the North- West.

Railway Signals: Cambridge

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the (a) cost of and (b) timeframe for the re-signalling of Cambridge junction.

Huw Merriman: Cambridge Junction is due to be re-signalled with European Train Control System technology, also known as digital signalling, as part of the East Coast Digital programme (ECDP).The overall cost of the East Coast Digital Programme is around £1.9bn. This is made up of funding from the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline and Network Rail infrastructure renewals funding over Control Period 7 (2024-2029). Programme costs have not been broken down further to particular areas and would be complicated by factors such as the overall cost of fitting trains with the equipment required to use digital signalling, and the cost of training railway staff.The ECDP will implement digital signalling on the East Coast Mainline southern section by 2030, with junctions along this route progressively upgraded in line with asset sustainability and alignment with the overall programme schedule. The re-signalling in the area around Cambridge Junction is expected to be ready from February this year for trains fitted with digital signalling equipment.

Railway Track: Standards

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail on its assessment of levels of track degradation over the next five years.

Huw Merriman: The Government provided £44.1 billion in December 2022 to fund Network Rail’s operations, maintenance, and renewal activity in Control Period 7 (the next 5-year funding period for Network Rail’s operations, maintenance, and renewals, starting in April 2024). At the time, this was a 4% increase in real terms on the settlement for Control Period 6 when compared on a like-for-like basis.The independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), has led the 3-year long Periodic Review 2023 process to determine Network Rail’s funding and plans for Control Period 7. During the Periodic Review, the “composite sustainability index” measure (of which track condition is a constituent part) has been a key issue for the Department for Transport. The Secretary of State stated in the 2022 High-Level Output Specification that he expects the overall long-term asset sustainability of the rail network to constitute a central part of Network Rail’s planning for Control Period 7.The Department for Transport regularly holds meetings with Network Rail to discuss the progress of Periodic Review 2023 and the associated key issues. Network Rail continues to deploy remote monitoring technologies to improve its monitoring of track condition. This includes train-borne devices, which improve efficiency and support greater value for money by extending asset lives, improving asset sustainability, passenger safety and train service reliability.

High Speed 2 Line: Cheshire East

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with Cheshire East Council on the potential merits of compensation for HS2-related costs.

Huw Merriman: In November last year, I met with Cheshire East Council and discussed the implications of Network North for Crewe. My Department and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities continue to work closely with Cheshire East Council on how the Council can benefit from the funding that they already invested in regeneration plans for Crewe, and from various Network North funding streams. In particular, Cheshire East will receive a funding boost of more than £2.2 million for bus services in the area, and an extension of the £2 bus fare cap to the end of 2024; it will also receive a £110m uplift over 11 years for local road maintenance, and is set to receive significant additional support from a new £4.7bn ‘Local Integrated Transport Settlements’ fund to transform local transport across the North and Midlands.

High Speed 2 Line

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the financial impact of cancelling HS2 Phase 2 on HS2 Phase 1.

Huw Merriman: The Department continues to work with HS2 Ltd and its supply chain to assess the implications of the cancellation of HS2 Phase 2 on the rest of the scheme. As set out in the Network North announcement, the decision to discontinue HS2 beyond Birmingham will free up £36 billion in savings. This is money that the Government plans to reinvest, in full, into projects which will benefit towns, cities and rural areas across the country.

High Speed 2 Line: Rolling Stock

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of cancelling HS2 Phase 2 on rolling stock orders for HS2.

Huw Merriman: The Alstom / Hitachi joint venture is contracted to manufacture and maintain the HS2 rolling stock for Phase 1 of the project alone. We will complete Phase 1 of HS2 between Birmingham and London, with a rescoped Euston station. There is therefore no change to the contract in terms of fleet size.

Railways: Crew

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to support the recruitment and retention of train drivers.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to help ensure the adequacy of train driver numbers for the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 25 years.

Huw Merriman: The Department is not responsible for the recruitment and retention of train drivers. The train operating companies, as employers, are responsible for ensuring there are adequate number of train drivers to suit their operational functions. Train operators incentivise the continued recruitment of train drivers by offering salaries to qualified drivers that are well above UK average full-time earnings. To give some examples of train driver recruitment which is currently underway, Avanti West Coast (AWC) is undertaking unprecedented levels of annual recruitment, with plans underway to recruit approximately 70 trainee or qualified drivers in each year, over the next few years. Over 100 additional drivers have entered formal service since April 2022 in AWC. Further to recent recruitment drives, Northern Rail currently have 136 drivers in training. Despite the industry presenting ASLEF with a reasonable two-year pay deal in return for necessary reforms, ASLEF’s leadership declined the offer. This pay rise would have taken some train driver salaries to c. £65000. We continue to encourage ASLEF to present the industry's fair proposal to its members, within the train operating companies, to allow them to have a say on their future.

Great Western Main Line: Railway Track

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Network Rail on recent point failures between London Paddington and Reading.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent trends in the number of point failures on the track between London Paddington and Reading.

Huw Merriman: Improving performance on the Great Western Main Line is a high priority for Network Rail and my Department. Passengers are not getting the level of service they deserve, although improvements are starting to show in the most recent rail period in terms of delay minutes. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has launched an investigation into poor train punctuality and reliability in the Network Rail Wales & Western Region and we look forward to the recommendations of this review.I have been working closely with Network Rail on this issue over recent months including reviewing their improvement plan and joining a deep dive session to discuss progress against that plan. I also regularly discuss the issue with Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines and am shortly due to meet with Rob Cairns, Network Rail’s Interim Managing Director for Western and Wales to reinforce the need for rapid improvements in performance.

West Coast Main Line

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to help tackle congestion on the West Coast Main Line.

Huw Merriman: HS2 Phase 1 will be delivered between Euston and the West Midlands with a branch to Handsacre, near Lichfield, providing a significant increase in capacity across the busiest section of the West Coast Main Line. In addition, work is underway to consider potential upgrades to Handsacre junction and the broader West Coast Main Line to support the introduction of HS2 services, and improve journeys between London, the West Midlands, the North-West, Scotland and other locations. An upgrade of Handsacre Junction will allow more trains to reach key destinations north of Birmingham. It will have a transformative effect on rail capacity: nearly doubling capacity up to 250,000 seats per day across the primary long-distance operator on the West Coast Main Line and Phase 1 - triple that of the operator’s current estimated average daily demand.

Electric Bicycles: Delivery Services

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to regulate the use of e-bicycles by commercial delivery drivers.

Guy Opperman: E-bikes are already regulated in accordance with the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983, as amended.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Olympic Games

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with her Irish counterpart on the potential merits of a joint bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympic Games.

Stuart Andrew: The UK has continued to build its reputation as a world-leading host of the biggest major sporting events since the London Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012.Neither I nor the Secretary of State have had any discussions with Irish counterparts on the consideration of either a UK or joint bid for the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Youth Investment Fund

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to open a third phase of the youth investment fund.

Stuart Andrew: The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people.While local authorities are responsible for delivering youth provision, the Government has worked closely with local authorities to update statutory guidance to support this delivery. The Government additionally provides significant funding to support youth services, with over £1.1 billion provided to the youth sector from DCMS in England between 2015 and 2021.Over this Spending Review Period, DCMS is investing over £500 million in youth services to deliver the National Youth Guarantee, a government commitment that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. This includes a significant number of interventions such as the Youth Investment Fund which is delivering grants to build, renovate and expand youth centres. Future funding commitments for the Youth Investment Fund beyond the current phase 2 will be subject to the next Spending Review Period.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Ministers' Private Offices

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether any refurbishments have been made to ministerial offices in her Department in each of the last two years.

Julia Lopez: No refurbishments were made to ministerial offices in 2023. A refurbishment was carried out in 2022 following an office move.

UK Year of Service

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding her Department plans to allocate to the UK Year of Service programme for the next financial year.

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the UK Year of Service on increasing work placement opportunities for young people.

Stuart Andrew: DCMS is providing £750,000 of funding in 2024/25 to co-fund the next cohort of the UK Year of Service alongside the National Citizen Service Trust, providing work placements for at least 100 young people who are furthest from the labour market, giving them a chance to be set on a positive path towards long-term employment, education or training.The Government recognises the importance of providing young people with supportive, meaningful employment. DCMS will assess the effectiveness of the UK Year of Service to ensure a focus on what works for young people. Any future spending is a decision for future spending reviews.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Carbon Emissions

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what targets her Department has set to help achieve the Government's commitments on net zero.

Andrew Griffith: The Government set out how we would meet our commitments in the Net Zero Strategy in 2021 which included a detailed breakdown of actions required across all sectors in the economy. This was updated in 2023 through the publication of 'Powering Up Britain'. The UK has halved its emissions, ahead of every other major economy, and we have grown our economy by over 70% since 1990. The UK over-achieved against the first and second carbon budgets, and the latest projections show that we are on track to meet the third. We have one of the most ambitious decarbonisation targets in the world, and we have set more stretching targets for 2030 than most countries. We plan to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, which is more than the EU, Japan or the United States.

Telecommunications: Infrastructure

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will provide guidance to local authorities on the maximum number of telegraph poles that can be erected in local areas per number of households.

Julia Lopez: As I stated to the House on 15 January 2024, duties and obligations relating to telecommunications installations are included in the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003 (“the 2003 Regulations”). In addition, there is a Code of Practice (The Cabinet Siting and Pole Siting Code of Practice 2016) in place relating to the siting of cabinet and pole installations. This provides guidance on ways operators can ensure these installations are placed appropriately, and that local authorities and communities are engaged with regarding proposed installations. In April 2023, I wrote to all Local Planning Authorities, asking that they notify Ofcom, and provide evidence of any instances, where they believe operators have failed to comply with their duties under 2003 Regulations. I also wrote to the Chief Executive of Ofcom, the independent regulator for telecommunications operators. My Department does not, however, provide guidance on the number of telegraph poles that can be erected in local areas. This, like any other form of network build, will depend on a number of market factors, including the number of households to be served, availability of existing infrastructure and operators’ commercial plans. As I previously stated, the Government believes that communities benefit enormously from the deployment of high quality digital infrastructure, with all the economic and social benefits it brings. We want to make sure that deployment happens efficiently, but at the same time, in ways that make sure the impact on communities and the environment is taken into account and broad support is maintained for the rollout of this critical infrastructure. That is why my Department has taken steps to optimise the use of existing infrastructure. The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 introduced new measures to make it easier for operators to upgrade and share the use of existing underground ducts and telegraph poles, reducing the need for future installations. We are nonetheless aware of ongoing concerns about the installation of telegraph poles. We are in discussions with Ofcom regarding this, and are considering steps we can take to address these concerns and to promote collaborative engagement between operators and communities.